Whatever Comes Next
by HappyMess
Summary: A year ago, Isabella Swan was new at school and instantly gained acceptance. Unfortunately, a certain bronze haired new kid isn't so lucky. Hidden friendships slowly build and blossom into more. Will it be social suicide?
1. Chapter 1

Something i've had in my head for a little while. Nothing but the plot is mine.

* * *

"Oh. My. God. Look at him." Jessica exclaimed as she joined the table where Lauren, Rosalie and I currently sat in the cafeteria.

Of course, all the girls turned their heads towards the table that the new kid sat at.

"What a freak." Lauren scoffed as she smacked obnoxiously on her gum and tapped her ridiculous acrylic nails against the top of her can of diet coke.

"Seriously. Look at those glasses. And that sweater. So hideous," Rosalie agreed, nodding her head before returning back to poking at her salad sans dressing.

Jessica turned to look at me, an expectant look on her face.

Oh, right. I'm supposed to bash the new kid too. "Total weirdo."

That comment seemed to satiate the group for now as they fell into more gossip about him. Apparently, his name was Edward, although they refused to address him as such. He moved here from Chicago and was an only child to his adopted parents. I drowned out the rest of their conversation as they continued to tear apart the poor guy. He looked so innocent and unassuming as he sat at the table by himself, reading some book through thick, black rimmed glasses. His sweater was disastrous, I couldn't deny that. It was well worn and frayed in some parts, it looked handmade. He had a pile of messy bronze hair on his head that caused him to look further disheveled.

I could sympathize with being the new kid. Just last year, I had stepped foot on campus, shiny and new and friendless. But that didn't last long. By fourth period, right before lunch, I met Jessica. She was the so called 'leader' of the pack. She sat down next to me in Spanish and started the Spanish inquisition and I, in my somewhat dazed state, answered all her questions with the right answers and was invited to sit at her table at lunch.

"_You are soo lucky that I got to you first, Isabella. So lucky. Sitting with anyone else during lunch would be like committing social suicide._" She had warned me.

Even now, a year later as I sat here with my so called best friends, I was still the black sheep of the group. I wasn't the cheerleader. I was never picked first in PE based on my looks alone. I wasn't the girl that got asked to the dance. Hell, I had never had a real boyfriend and my first (and only) kiss was from some horny soccer player that was drunk off his ass at a party at Rosalie's house the week before Junior year started.

"Bella! Hellooo anybody there?" Rosalie's voice broke through my thoughts.

"I'm sorry. What?" I asked.

"God. Sometimes I swear it's like you're from another planet or something. Are you going with us tonight to Tyler's party? His parents are out of town for their anniversary or something. There's going to be a keg."

Ugh. The last thing i wanted to do was spend my Friday night freezing my ass off in someone's backyard, huddled around a keg and holding Jessica's hair back as she puked her guts up in Tyler's moms rose bushes.

"I don't know, I might be busy. Family stuff," I lied. "Who all is going to be there?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "That skankwhore Tanya is going to be there. Her older brother Alec is the one supplying the keg. I can't stand that bitch."

Neither could I, really. There were very few people that I didn't like, but she was one of them. She was gorgeous, there was no denying that, but she had the personality of a doorknob. Rosalie couldn't stand her because in eighth grade at the last chance dance, Tanya had taken the opportunity to screw Rosalie's then sort of boyfriend in the bathroom of the gymnasium. Even in middle school she was a skank.

"Knowing her, she won't be there long. Drink a few beers, sink her claws in some drunk guy and then go do him in the back seat of his car," Rosalie said.

"Mmhmm," Jessica nodded her head in agreement.

Just then, new kid Edward put his messenger bag over his shoulder and picked up his tray of mostly eaten food and made his way to the garbage can. Unfortunately for him, the one closest to his table was next to the jocks table. His major mistake was to decide to use that one instead of opting for the one next to the cafeteria doors. Mike, one of the jocks, used this opportunity to stick his foot out to trip unsuspecting Edward, causing him to fly forwards and for all the remaining contents of his lunch to spill all over him.

Nearly instantaneously, the table that I sat at along with the jocks broke out into hysterical laughter. The other tables in the cafeteria couldn't see the action from where they sat, but since my table and the jocks were laughing, they assumed they should too. Lauren's hyena-like shriek was the loudest of all of them and I refrained from covering my hands with my ears. I sat still. Unmoving and showing no reaction at all as I watched new kid Edward break out into a full on blush, haphazardly throwing the scattered food back onto his tray, his glasses covered in milk and the entire front of his sweater and pants caked in a combination of milk, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and crushed Cheez-Its. He kept his head down as he scrambling out of the cafeteria, throwing out his garbage and dumping the tray on his way out.

"Too fucking funny!" Lauren gasped in between laughs.

The other two were too busy cackling to respond, going so far as to wipe tears from their eyes.

I sat stoically. How was that funny? Humiliating? Yes. Funny? No. Never. It was hard enough to be the new kid and just want to blend in and go unnoticed, but to have something like that happen? Too humiliating. Just as Jessica had said to me,_ social suicide_.

* * *

Short, yes. But I figured this was the perfect place to stop. If you deem it worthy, following chapters will be longer and I'll make a more concrete outline. Most of the characters have been somewhat introduced in this chapter. So, what do you think? Review and let me know if you think its worth continuing.


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the day passed by, Edwards spectacle at lunch was long forgotten in the minds of my peers. It was now seven pm and Rosalie was flopped back on my bed reading Cosmo and commenting on the article about the proper way to give head.

"I so have this shit down, Bella. Seriously. This magazine rarely teaches me anything new and it's supposed to be geared to women in their twenties and thirties? I'm seventeen for Christ sake and I can suck cock with the best of them!" Rosalie exclaimed, tossing the magazine to the bottom of the bed.

Rosalie wasn't a slut. Just a cock tease. A huge cock tease. She could have any guy at Forks high down on their knees panting and begging to kiss her feet if she wanted. But no. She was super devoted to her boyfriend, Emmett McCarty. Emmett was so completely pussy whipped that it made me sick. He was two years older than her and went to school at University of Washington, which was three hours away. Those two had been an item ever since Rosalie Hale stepped foot on Forks high at the tender age of fourteen.

Truthfully, Rosalie was my best friend out of the whole bunch. Sure, she was a crazy bitch when she wanted to be, but she was the most real out of all the girls I knew. It was no secret to me that Lauren and Jessica were in awe of her prowess and knew full on that Jessica wasn't the leader. Rose was and always had been. But her love of Emmett distracted her from high school and she already had one foot out of the brick building. She was merely counting down the days till could graduate and go join Emmett at U of W. Rose couldn't care less about trivial high school gossip and writing catty things on the bathroom walls.

"Rose, I really don't want to hear about your extracurricular activities with Emmett. I'm just picking something out so we can go over to Tyler's and meet Lauren and Jess," I said, rifling through my closet.

She let out a heavy sigh and went to my closet, effortlessly picking out a blue sweater, jeans, and boots. "Get changed. I'm going to go hang out with Charlie."

Rose left the room and headed downstairs to the living room where Charlie, my dad was stationed, cleaning his gun. Somehow, they had formed an odd sort of friendship over the past year, talking about sports and cars and guns. Emmett had turned Rose on to his love of all those three. Rosalie, the mini-skirt, high heeled wearing Amazon spent her time with Emmett watching the Mariners, going to car shows and shooting guns with Emmett down at the range on the Quileute reservation.

After I finished getting ready, I went downstairs and started putting away the leftover chicken casserole I had made for dinner. Charlie was pretty much helpless in anything domestic, so it was all left to me. Not that I minded, it at least gave me something to do.

"Dad? I'm going out with Rosalie tonight and I'm going to stay the night at her house. Is that okay?" I asked, knowing he would say it was.

"You ask your parents about that?" Charlie grunted, looking over at Rosalie.

"Of course, Chief. They love having Bella over," she answered, a huge smile plastered on her face. Truth be told, I don't think I've spent longer than thirty seconds in a room with the Hales. As far as parenting went, their belief was one of 'let them learn from their own mistakes.' Meaning they were lazy as fuck when it came to being parents.

"Alright. Have fun you too. Call me if you need anything, Bells." Charlie said as we walked to the door. "And no funny business!"

Rosalie and I just laughed as we left the house.

Tyler's house was a little less than a mile away from where I lived, so Rosalie insisted that we walk so she doesn't have to worry about drinking and wrecking her precious red Mercedes.

"God, I am so ready to get trashed. They better have liquor there. I've been beyond stressed about SATs, ACTs, college apps..."

She continued complaining about everything wrong in her life the entire walk there. I was preoccupied though, my mind kept wandering and I couldn't figure out why. Maybe I just needed to get trashed too.

"Oh my God! Bella! Rose! You made it!" Jessica's shrill voice sounded out as she ran drunkenly towards me, Lauren in tow. They were dressed alike, like they often were. They both wore short denim mini-skirts, thick cotton tights paired with brown Uggs. They also both wore polo shirts. Lauren's in purple and Jessica's in black. They wore no jackets, even though it was probably only sixty degrees out.

"Hey you guys. Drunk already?" I asked. I checked my phone. The party had only been going on for about thirty minutes now.

"Oh well. You know us." Lauren giggled. "Mike brought some of that hard lemonade stuff. It's soo good. I couldn't even taste the alcohol!"

"Where is Mike?" Jessica pouted, looking around. "He said he had a surprise to show me."

I rolled my eyes. I would bet my non-existent life savings what that surprise was. Jessica had a huge crush on Mike Newton, the guy that tripped Edward earlier today. Mike knew she did too and used it to his full advantage.

"Come on, Jess. Let's go find the boys." Lauren said, tugging at her arm. Tyler, the guy's house we were at was Lauren's version of Newton. Those two girls were deluded, thinking that they could change those boys from their man-whoring ways.

"Can we graduate already?" Rose asked, turning to me.

I groaned, wondering the same thing. There had to be more to life than this.

We went up to the house and Rose grabbed my hand as she began walking through the crowd. Of course, everyone parted like the red sea for her. We made it to the keg where two overly helpful sophomores poured beer for us.

Rosalie wanted to go mingle for a bit and go to the backyard for a smoke. I told her I would be fine here, by the keg so she'd know where to find me.

Well she was gone for a long time. I turned down all invitations to go smoke a bowl, said I didn't know where 'so and so' went, but I readily accepted my own small bottle of Jack Daniels. Sealed of course, I wasn't a huge enough idiot to accept a possibly roofied drink.

More time passed and I had to pee horribly. In my drunken mind I felt horribly guilty for leaving my spot incase Rose decided to come back. But hey, the bitch left me for like an hour. I stumbled through the crowd, trying to remember where the bathroom was. I headed up the steps to the second floor and just started opening random doors.

"Shit! I'm sorry!" I exclaimed, covering my eyes as I opened a door leading to one of the bedrooms. Tanya was there, in all her naked glory riding this guy Felix that was on the football team.

"It's okay, baby. Wanna join?" He slurred. Tanya didn't even blink.

"Umm, no thanks. I'll pass," I said hurriedly, turning around and shutting the door.

Screw this. I had to pee so damn badly and all the bathrooms disappeared.

I pushed through my peers and out the door, passing by Jessica and Lauren who were sitting outside on a bench on the front porch, both straddling their men, tongues jammed down their throats.

I walked through the cold night air, trying to find a bathroom. Yeah, right. Like a bathroom would just magically appear. But hell, I'd settle for a port-a-potty at this point. I took swigs of my Jack Daniels to help warm me, which didn't help my other problem at all.

It was only ten, but there were no house lights on anywhere. Everyone was already in bed. Yes, Forks was that exciting. I had only walked a couple blocks when I started to consider turning back to Tylers house.

However, I saw the light.

Someone's front porch light was on and there was a silhouetted figure sitting down on one of those swinging benches. I ran up to the house, probably looking like a crazy person, drunk and stumbling.

"Hey! Can I please use your bathroom?" I yelled as I ran up to the house.

"Umm…" The shadowed man said.

"Please? I won't like, rob you or anything."

"Sure. Come on, I'll show you were it is." He stood up and I followed him around the house to the side gate, to the backyard where there was a small guest house.

"Just er, go in. It's the first door past the kitchen."

I finished up my business and went back outside.

"Thank you, so much." I said shyly, standing in front of him.

"It's no problem," he reassured.

It was probably the combination of the beer and whiskey, churned together by the brief running. When I opened my mouth to thank him again, I instead found myself puking all over the front of his black hoodie.

He looked down at his puke covered hoodie to my face and disgust washed over his features.

"Oh fuck. I am so, so sorry! I usually don't drink like this and then the puking and I'm just a complete bitch tonight. I'm sorry. Really."

When he didn't say anything, I took the opportunity to turn and run, back to the party."There you are!" Rose yelled, walking over to me.

She was at the corner, walking towards where I had just came from. "You scared the shit out of me. I told you to stay next to the keg!"

"Sorry, I just got a little…sidetracked."

"Well whatever. Let's get going. The party is boring. Everyone is just coupling off now and I do not need to see that shit."

"Yeah, can we just go back to your place? I'm not feeling too good."

She rolled her eyes. "Come on. You better not yak at my house though. You know my parents hate that. Do it in the bushes if you have to."

If only she knew.

I was all too ready for lunch break by fourth period Monday morning. So far, the day had been a disaster. The printer went into major fail mode this morning and I wasn't able to print out the English essay I had worked my butt off on all weekend. In Spanish, we had a pop quiz on material I hadn't had time to review since I spent the weekend on my English paper. I had to spend the quiz stealthily hiding my answers from Jessica, who sat next to me and was trying to cheat off of me.

Rose and Lauren were already sitting at the table when Jessica and I got there.

"Is it Friday yet?" Lauren whined, picking at her salad.

"Shut up. It's only Monday. Maybe if you hadn't spent all weekend hanging out with Tyler and doing whatever he wanted, you wouldn't feel so shitty today," Rose snapped.

"Geez. It was just a comment. Don't have a freaking cow," Lauren snapped back.

"You bitches are giving me a headache," Jessica said, rubbing her temples.

I just rolled my eyes and looked around the cafeteria, lingering a little too long on the empty table where New Kid Edward had sat at just a few days ago. I wouldn't blame him for skipping out on the cafeteria today. Or for the rest of the year.

I continued my observation of the cafeteria and made eye contact with Newton. He smirked and winked at me.

Jessica caught him looking over at our table. "Oh my God! Mike's staring over here. Hi Mike!"

Mike cocked his head and Jessica bounded over to him, squealing as she plopped herself down on his lap and started playing with his hair.

"I'm bored. Wanna skip and go to Port Angeles?" Rose asked Lauren and I.

Lauren shrugged. "I guess. Nothing better to do."

"Bella?" Rose asked, turning to me.

"Nope. Can't. Chief Swan will have my head on a platter if I cut class."

"Suit yourself," Rose told me as she and Lauren packed up their stuff and headed out the cafeteria towards Rosalie's table in biology was in the back corner of the room. Luckily, I was the only one who sat there, since the class was an odd number. It never bothered me. I was good at biology, I didn't need someone else slowing me down or bothering me in class.

Today however, someone was sitting at the empty seat next to mine.

"Ah, Miss Swan. You have a new lab partner. He's new in town. His name is Edward Cullen. I trust you to show him the ropes." Mr. Banner greeted me.

New kid was my lab partner. Okay. I can deal. I walked up and dropped my bag to the ground next to the table, sitting down heavily in my chair.

"Hi. I'm Bella Swan. You're Edward?" I asked, sticking my hand out.

"Oh, um. Yeah. Hi. I'm Edward," he said, loosely grasping my hand.

Mr. Banner called the class to attention, preventing us from talking further.

I felt uneasy in my seat, tense almost. The atmosphere around me was charged and I couldn't figure out why. Edward seemed just as uneasy, but I attributed it to him being new and uncomfortable.

I found myself taking side glances at him throughout the period, studying him. He had fiery bronze hair, which he frequently ran his fingers through in a seemingly nervous habit. His facial features were strong and masculine, a light dusting of stubble on his face. He furrowed his brows often, looking deep in thought, causing a crease to form between his brows and wrinkles in his forehead. Taking breaks between cursive written notes, he would push his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Alright kids. Lesson's over for today. I expect you to read chapter twenty in your textbook for class by Wednesday. We have about fifteen minutes left, talk amongst yourselves," Mr. Banner said, before he sat down and started going through papers.

"Feeling better today?" Edward asked.

I jumped a bit at his voice, I had been spacing out, doodling in the margins of my bio notes.

"Um, I'm feeling okay…I guess," I mumbled, confused at his random question.

"Good. I mean, you seemed to not be feeling so well Friday night," he explained.

The party. "You were at Tyler's?" I asked, somewhat incredulously, then feeling bad at the tone of my voice. "I mean, you've not even been here a week or anything."

"I wasn't at Tyler's. I'm not sure who Tyler is. I meant afterward. When you needed to use the…facilities?" He said shyly, a faint blush creeping up his face.

Facilities? Oh. OH. "That was you…wasn't it? Where I used the bathroom?"

"Yeah. That would be me," he confirmed.

I groaned, holding my head in my hands. "How embarrassing."

"It's okay. It was a little unexpected, maybe. But it wasn't anything a load of laundry and a shower couldn't fix. I didn't know Forks was so…exciting."

I didn't know it was possible to even more mortified than I already was until he mentioned laundry. I puked all over the new kid!

"I am so, so freaking sorry. Really. I'll buy you new clothes or do your laundry or whatever."

"It's fine, Bella. You didn't do it on purpose. Besides, I had a lot of dirty clothes to wash anyways." He grumbled, the blush deepening.

"I'm sorry," I said, remembering how his clothes looked after the incident last Friday at lunch.

Edward shrugged, "You have no reason to apologize. You didn't laugh. I should thank you."

I wondered briefly about how he knew I didn't join in the laughter. "You weren't in the cafeteria during lunch."

"I don't know if I'll be eating in the cafeteria. The library is quieter during lunch, anyways."

The bell rang, signaling the end of school. I packed my bag quickly, hoping, for some reason, to be able to walk out at the same time as Edward and maybe continue our talk.

That plan didn't work out. Jessica was already standing at the door of my biology class, looking impatient and pissed.

"Come on. Let's go do something. I had a shitty afternoon," Jessica said, beginning to walk towards the parking lot.

I nodded my head, following her. I turned to where Edward had been standing behind me. But he was already halfway down the hallway, his head down, shoulders hunched.

* * *

Review! Did I mention I have Twitter and will post teasers and other links related to my stories? follow me (at)HappyMess89


	3. Chapter 3

The week was dragging by at a ridiculously slow rate. I went to school, came home, did homework, cooked for Charlie, read, and went to bed. Life was monotonous, and it was at times like these that I especially missed Phoenix. I didn't have many friends there, in fact, I hadn't talked to any of them since I moved to Forks. But, there was always something to do. Any other Thursday night, I could have gone to the dollar theater and wasted a couple hours watching some lame movie or browsed the shelves of the library by my house. But in Forks-silence. Life was boring here. Maybe that was why the kids at school wouldn't leave Edward Cullen alone.

True to his word, Edward hadn't returned to the cafeteria at lunch since that fateful day. I never saw him in the halls either, not that I intentionally looked. The only time I laid eyes on him was in Biology.

Feeling nostalgic and missing my Mom, I picked up my phone to call her.

She answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mom."

"Bella? Is that you?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, Mom. It's your other daughter."

She laughed. "I'm sorry, you just sound so different! I'm glad you decided to give your old mom a call. I thought you forgot about me."

"Mom," I whined. "It's only been a week, seriously. Besides, the phone works both ways, you can make calls as well as answer them."

"Oh, I know. I've just been so busy lately! Phil is doing great here in Jacksonville. It's starting to look more permanent, and we've started looking for a house to buy, just in case."

"Wow, Mom. That sounds great. I'm really happy for you and Phil."

Phil was my mothers new husband. He was in his late twenties. My mom, Renee, was thirty-six. He was also my reason for moving to Forks. He played minor league baseball and was going on the road. Having a teenager didnt let you just pack up and travel across the country, seeing as how I needed to go to school. So I came to Forks, allowing my mom to focus on her new marriage.

"Actually, Bella…there's something I want to tell you," my mom said, sounding nervous.

"Okay, let's hear it," I replied, bracing myself for what she was about to say.

"I'm pregnant."

I froze.

"Bella? Honey? Can you hear me?" My mothers frantic voice rang out.

"Um...yeah, Mom. I'm here. Pregnant? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, honey. I'm sure. Twelve weeks. I've had the first ultrasound and everything."

Wow. A baby. Did my mom understand what that meant? I knew how to pay the bills by twelve. Could she handle a baby? "I..I don't know what to say. I mean…congrats, Mom."

"Thank you, baby. I'm sorry we didn't tell you right away, I wanted to make sure everything was okay with the pregnancy first. Phil is just so excited, he can't wait until we can find out the sex. The houses we've been looking at have been three bedrooms. You'll get your own room, and so will the baby. You'll love Jacksonville. It's nice and warm here. The palm trees…"

I cut her off. "Wait, what? I'm not going to Jacksonville, Mom."

"What are you talking about, Bella? Of course you'll come to Jacksonville."

"I like Forks," I half-lied. "I have friends here, and it's my junior year, and Charlie's here."

She sighed. "Bella, Charlie's a grown man, he can take care of himself. You made new friends in Forks, you'll do the same in Jacksonville, you'll be a big sister. Phil and I miss you so much."

"Mom, I need to think about this. But honestly, I don't want to move," I said, trying to sound firm.

"Fine. But don't take too long to decide, the next five months will go by before you know it."

My mom and I hung up, each promising to call the other soon.

I had a million questions swimming through my mind. My mom was pregnant. With a baby. I hope that Phil makes sure she gets to all her appointments and takes her prenatal vitamins and lays off the wine with dinner.

Another part of me didn't know how to feel about this. Here my mom was with Phil, an entire country separated us and she was having a baby. They'd be their own family and by moving there, I felt like I would be intruding on their new life together. And Charlie, he's never really gotten over my mom. He took the news of the wedding hard, but he's happy if she's happy. But will he be happy to hear she's having a kid? There were too many questions running through my mind. I heard the phone ringing downstairs and Charlie's gruff voice answering it. I knew it was Renee calling, telling him the good news. I turned off my lamp and crawled into bed, willing sleep to come quickly.

Today, like every day, by the time I got to biology, Edward was already sitting down at our table, squinting as he tried to see the board.

"What happened to you glasses?" I asked, I'd never seen him without them.

"They…broke this morning," he said, squinting harder.

More than likely Mike or one of his cronies broke them for him. The rest of the period, I pushed my notebook as close to Edward as possible without looking conspicuous. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him peering over and copying my notes from the board.

Edward was pretty shut off. We barely even mumbled hello's to each other at the beginning of class. I just felt so bad for him and I knew the last thing he would want is for someone to pity him, but seriously. He needed someone on his side in this place. We finished our lab a few minutes before class ended, so I decided to brave trying to strike up some small talk.

"Hey, so what are you doing this weekend?" I asked. Then I mentally scolded myself. I hope he didn't think I was asking to make plans with him.

"What? Oh, um this weekend…" He got cut off by the sound of the bell. Without finishing his sentence, he dashed like a bat out of hell from the room.

I made Charlie meatloaf, green beans and mashed potatoes for dinner that night, knowing that it was his favorite and that he knew about Renee's news. I wanted to soften him up and let him know I didn't plan on leaving. In typical Charlie fashion, that morning when I came down for breakfast he had already left for work, avoiding any possible awkward confrontation.

The dinner was plated and on the table when Charlie stepped in the door.

"Hey, Bells, this looks great," Charlie said, sitting down.

"Thanks, Dad."

We ate in silence, until I couldn't stand it.

"Dad, I'm not leaving Forks. I just said I'd think about it to appease Mom," I admitted.

"Now, Bella. I don't want you staying here just because you feel sorry for me. I completely understand if you want to go to Jacksonville."

"No, that's not it at all. I want to stay here. I don't want to pack everything up and say goodbye again to everyone. Especially when I only have a year and a half left of high school."

He sighed. "Well, Bells. Whatever you want to do, you'll do it. You're just like your mother in that respect."

And that was the end of that conversation.

0-0

Edward was gone Monday. He was also gone Tuesday. It was Wednesday now and Renee had emailed me the previous night, informing me that she would call me at nine my time. I was not so anxiously waiting by my phone.

When the phone rang, I jumped. Renee was all too eager and happy sounding, saying that the pregnancy was going good, she was taking her vitamins, Phil had already started talking to her belly. The conversation quickly turned to house hunting and bedrooms that I would 'absolutely die for.'

The guilt over this was beginning to gnaw at me. I had been so sure before that I was going to stay here in Forks. But then I got to thinking, who would watch my sibling when my mom went back to work? I'd always been content being an only child, but now that I was going to be a big sister, I wasn't sure I could miss out on all the major milestones.

I told my mom that I was still considering her offer, which this time I actually meant.

0-0

While my life had been turned upside down, or maybe just on its side, things for Rose hadn't been all sunshine and rainbows either. She had been a royal bitch the past couple weeks, starting with her little outburst at Lauren last Monday morning. It only took a couple shots of Jager at an impromptu intervention Tuesday night for Rose to open up the floodgates.

Apparently she was feeling neglected by Emmett and thought that he might be cheating. I didn't really think that this was the case because I had seen first-hand how pussy whipped Emmett was, but Rosalie wouldn't listen to reason. She completely trashed her bedroom, throwing and breaking shit, ignoring Emmett's phone calls and crying. I'd never seen her like this before. Jessica mumbled something under her breath that sounded like 'we should have her committed,' which caused Rosalie to go further into a bitch fit because she apparently had an aunt in Seattle with dissociative identity disorder who had to live in an assisted living place.

Wednesday at lunch, I had left the cafeteria to go freshen up in the bathroom. When I walked into the bathroom, there was a very short girl with spiky black hair rummaging through her purse in front of the mirror. I didn't think she was a student because I'd never seen her before. Of course I don't go around paying close attention to everyone, either.

She turned around when she saw me in the reflection. "Hi! Do you have any aspirin or Motrin? My head is killing me."

"Nope, sorry. Against school policy or something to carry it," I shrugged apologetically.

"Drats. That's okay, maybe some caffeine might help. Ohh, maybe you can help! I'm looking for someone here. Her names Rosalie? Rosalie Hale."

"Yeah, I know Rose. She's my friend. Why?"

She looked excited. "I'm Alice. My brother is Emmett, Rosalie's boyfriend? Apparently there's been some big misunderstanding and he's worried about her but he can't get out of school and work to come here, so I volunteered."

"Oh, okay. I'm Bella. Rosalie's actually in the cafeteria, she has a free period right after lunch, so she'll probably stay in there."

Alice shocked the hell out of me and jumped forward to hug me. "Oh, Bella! Thank you so much!"

She ran out of the bathroom before I could say anything else.

0-0

Thursday at lunch, Rosalie's mood had made a complete one-eighty. Apparently, Alice had a big talk with Rose about Emmett and all was forgiven. Emmett was just really stressed about school and he hadn't meant to be distant and make Rose feel bad or suspicious. Everyone was happy now and Rose, Alice and I had plans to go to dinner on Saturday night.

0-0

Dinner Saturday night at the Forks Diner wasn't as awkward as I anticipated. Alice was actually the same age and grade as us, but she never attended Forks High. Instead she went to some special arts school in Seattle and lived in an apartment with her brother, much to Emmett's chagrin.

When the conversation steered to talk of Emmett and his friend Jasper, Alice's face lit up. Apparently, it was widely known between Emmett and his friends that Alice was head-over-heels in love with Jasper. Unfortunately, Jasper didn't see her as more than his best friends little sister.

"I'm making progress with Jasper, I swear!" Alice exclaimed, frustrated over Rose's suggestions that she move on.

"Alice, honey. There's plenty of other fish in the sea."

"Hmph. On Monday, Jasper came over to get Em and he told me he liked my outfit!"

Rose just shook her head, placating her with "Wow, maybe he is coming around."

I was thankful that I didn't have to deal with the whole boy-girl relationships. No guy at school gave me so much as a second glance. Except for the wrong reason.

I deflected any talk about me, since I hadn't confided to anyone about my mothers pregnancy, not wanting to face any awkward questions and answers about her age, my feelings on it and my plans. Luckily, Rose and Alice seemed perfectly content with conversation about themselves and trivial matters like reality television.

0-0

Edward Cullen was at school Monday morning. I knew this because I saw him in the parking lot, getting out of the drivers seat of a black Volvo. An expensive, shiny looking black Volvo. It must be new.

"Ah, Miss Swan. Can I see you for a minute please?" Mr. Banner asked me as soon as I stepped into biology.

"Sure, Mr. Banner."

"Your lab partner, Edward was out all last week and as you know we covered a lot of material. I'd appreciate it if you could share your notes and other work with him that we did last week to help him catch up. Of course, you'll have to do it on your own time, maybe the library at lunch or after school. I've already talked to Edward about it and he said okay.

Edward said he's spend time outside of class with me?

"Of course, Mr. Banner. I'll be glad to help him," I said, trying to keep the eagerness out of my voice.

I went to the back of the room and sat down next to Edward.

"Hi," I greeted, turning to face him. "I guess we have to plan to meet this week so you can catch up on everything."

"Um yeah, thanks." Edward said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Geez. It was like pulling teeth with this guy. At least he got a new pair of glasses while he was gone.

"So since you already go to the library during lunch, how about we just get one of those studying rooms and I'll meet you there during lunch?" I asked.

"Sounds good. I'll get there early, usually my gym class ends a little early."

"Okay," I smiled. "Sounds like a plan.

* * *

Well, hello, everybody. I hope you liked this chapter. Let me know and leave a review! **Reviews get teasers!**


	4. Chapter 4

I couldn't help but feel a little excited about lunchtime studying with Edward. Last night when I got home from school and had made Charlie dinner, I went upstairs to my room to sort out all of my biology notes. I wanted to make sure that they were all organized and that my writing was legible for someone else's eyes.

An hour later I was satisfied with how they looked and slipped them back into my biology folder and back into my book bag.

I dodged Jessica after Spanish class by mumbling something about having a project I needed to do research. She shrugged me off dismissively and went to go in search of Mike.

The library was nearly empty during lunchtime, only a few stragglers who have a free fourth period and loners who enjoy the solace of the library were there. I made my way past all the study rooms, peering in the small windowed doors, trying to find Edward. When I got to the last of the study rooms, I saw Edward inside with a girl and a guy. Suddenly feeling awkward, I gently opened the door and went in.

"Hey, Edward. Sorry if I'm late."

"Oh, hey. No you aren't late. I'm early."

I smiled lightly and turned my attention over to Edwards company.

"Hi, I'm Bella," I said with a small wave.

"I'm Angela and this is my boyfriend, Ben," the girl, Angela said. Her boyfriend Ben nodded his head in acknowledgment. "We're seniors."

"Oh yeah, I think I've seen you around." Honestly, I don't think I'd ever seen them before.

"Well, we'll let you two get to work." Angela said, standing along with Ben. "Bye Edward. Bella."

Ben headed out the door in front of Angela, who gave Edward a pointed look before shutting the door behind her. Weird.

"They seem nice. Are they your friends?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, they're nice. They sit in the library at lunch and started joining me. It's kinda awkward though. Third wheel and all."

I nodded and started pulling papers out of my book bag. "Well, lets get this started."

"Wow, you guys did a lot of work while I was gone," Edward commented, breaking the twenty minute silence that had been plaguing our tiny room.

"Yeah, we did. Were you on vacation or something?"

Edward cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. I instantly felt bad. "Look, it's okay. You don't have to tell me where you went or whatever. I shouldn't be so nosy."

"No," Edward shook his head. "It's not like top secret or anything. I was in Chicago. My grandfather died and I was at the funeral."

"Oh," was my smart reply. I was never one to know the right thing to say. "I'm sorry."

The bell rang and I hastily picked all my stuff up and shoved it back into my book bag.

"I'll see you in bio," I called out behind me as I left Edward in the room.

I don't know what I was expecting. Maybe for Edward to talk to me or acknowledge me, especially since I had spent all lunch with him. But no. He spent the entire period looking straight ahead at the whiteboard, furiously scribbling down notes as Mr. Banner spoke.

0-0

That was how Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday panned out. Edward and I would work in silence and I found out he didn't actually need my help with any of the biology. He was smart. Really smart. So while he wrote down notes and filled out worksheets, I read my English book.

He always finished the work early and we would spend the last five awkward minutes before lunch ended making small talk.

However, on Friday he ended up finishing the last of the work with fifteen minutes to spare.

"I, uh, I have something for you," Edward said as we packed up our book bags.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, my mom actually wanted me to give it to you. Do you want to come to my car? I forgot it there."

"Sure," I said hesitantly. I couldn't imagine what his mother would have to give me.

We walked out of the school into the parking lot, it was drizzling lightly and we both pulled the hoods of our jackets up over our heads.

He lead me through the cars to the far back corner, farthest from the school entrance and pulled out car keys, pressing a button on his key ring that caused the lights of a black Volvo to flash.

"You have a car?" I asked.

"It's a hand-me-down. It was my fathers, but when we moved here he bought a new car and gave me his. It's only a couple years old. In Chicago, I never needed a car because of all the public transportation."

"That's cool," I commented dumbly. His car was nice. Way nicer than my beat up old Chevy.

We reached his car and he opened up the passenger door, looking through the glove box and retrieving an envelope. He shut the door and pressed another button on his key ring, locking the car.

"Here," he said, shoving the envelope out at me.

I tentatively took it from his hands, sliding my finger under the opening to tear it. It was a note card with pictures of rose's on it. I opened it up and was greeted by the most elegant cursive I'd ever seen.

_"Dear Bella,_

_As a token of appreciation for helping Edward this week in school I would like to extend an invitation to you and your father for dinner tonight at six o'clock. I hope you can make it. Everything will be taken care of, just bring yourself._

_Sincerely, Esme Cullen"_

Their address, along with directions from my house were written on a slip of paper inside.

"Dinner?" I asked, closing the card and sliding it back into the envelope.

"Yeah, Esme insisted. It's okay if you can't go or don't want to. I know it's a Friday night and short notice. I know you have friends and parties to go to."

I blushed furiously at his mention of parties. The last time I had gone to one I had made a complete fool of myself in front of Edward.

"No, of course not. I'd love to go, Edward. Unless you don't want me to, I'd totally understand if that were the case, I mean Charlie's working tonight anyways so it would just be you, your parents and me. I don't want it to be awkward or anything." I definitely had a severe case of word vomit.

"It's fine, really." Edward assured me.

"Okay," I gave a soft smile, "I'll be there."

The bell rang and Edward and I silently parted ways. Anticipatory butterflies already started fluttering in my stomach as I drifted through the rest of my classes.

0-0

Edward continued to ignore me throughout biology, but for once I didn't mind. Tonight I was going over to his house and I was determined to drag him out of his shell. At least I'd make more of an effort.

"Bella!"

"Bella! Bella Swan!" Two different voices called out to me as I walked out the school.

"Bella fucking Swan I know you can hear me!" Lauren's voice rang out.

Knowing that my lame attempt at ignoring Lauren and Jessica wouldn't help, I stopped in my tracks and turned.

Jessica ran up to me first. "Hi! Party tonight, you in?"

"I can't tonight. Sorry. Charlie wants me to stay home tonight," I lied.

Jessica pouted, "Bellaaa! You've been MIA this entire week during lunch and then you can't go out tonight to a party?"

"I'm really sorry, Jess. Next week I'll be back at lunch and we'll go to Port Angeles after school or something."

"Okay!" Jessica smiled, looking appeased.

"Where have you been all week anyways, Bella?" Lauren piped up.

"Working on a project. Remember?" I said too quickly. "It's a big project and I've had a lot of research to do. The town library sucks so I have to use the school one."

Really, I don't have any reason to hide my lunchtime meetings with Edward. After all, I wasn't there on my free will; Mr. Banner arranged all this before I had knowledge of it. If I did tell them, they would simply look at me apologetically and then go on about how lame he is and what a dick Mr. Banner was.

However, telling them that I was going to the Cullen's house for dinner would be an entirely different story.

0-0

The house way empty when I got home. Charlie hadn't even bothered to leave me a note, not like I needed one. I trudged upstairs and eyed the bathroom, debating whether or not I should shower. A shower might be good. It would help loosen up the tension that had suddenly found its way into my body the past week. I turned the water on, stripping down as the temperature grew just right.

The scent of my citrus shampoo, conditioner and body wash enveloped me in the steamy room and I allowed my thoughts to wander…to Edward Cullen. He certainly was a mystery. If I were being honest with myself, I would realize how my badly I wanted to get to know him. I might also acknowledge how attractive I found him. I had become enraptured by his startling green eyes. They were hidden behind his thick rimmed glasses and I found myself sneaking peeks at him over the top of my book. He was tall. I was able to see the lean muscle on his back as it worked under his shirt when he bent to pick up his backpack.

A tingling, coiling sensation began at the apex of my thighs as my hand drifted south, circling lower and lower, spurred on by these thoughts.

No! I pulled my hand away quickly as if I had been burnt. No. I couldn't, wouldn't, entertain these silly feelings. It would be a slippery slope that I wasn't willing to take.

I finished up with my shower quickly, drying my hair with a towel and then wrapping my body in another to go to my bedroom. I looked through my closet, picking out my nicest jeans and a gray long sleeve top before pulling my burgundy sweatshirt over my head.

I still had two hours before I had to be at the Cullen household. I went downstairs, scanning the room for something to do. There was a pile of dirty dishes in the sink, remnants of Charlie's late night snack and our breakfast this morning. I turned the tv on, flipping the channels to some show about a family with a shitload of kids. Shrugging, I went into the kitchen and began doing the dishes. I then moved on to the refrigerator, making a list of necessary items and throwing out the old, expired ones. With still some time left, I run upstairs and send a quick email to Renee, asking about her pregnancy and Phil. I still haven't mentioned moving back and neither has she. Finally, it was 5:50 and I figured I could just drive really, really slowly to his house.

I closed the door to my house, making sure it was locked and turning the porch light on for when I got home.

My Chevy roared to life and I turned the heat up, knowing that it would only just start to warm up once I was practically there.

I pulled up to the house a couple minutes before six. It was a nice house, nicer than Charlie's but not too showy for Forks. However, the Mercedes, Lexus and the Volvo parked out front betrayed its modesty.

As I walked up the front steps to the house, I could hear the sound of classical music, something I couldn't recognize. I rang the doorbell and it chimed once, twice before a disheveled looking Edward opened the door.

"Hey, Bella," Edward said nervously, stepping aside to allow me to come in. The house was light and airy inside, looking cheerful and cozy with plush couches and an inviting looking fire going in the fireplace, in living room, which was to the left of the door. The smell of garlic and other spices lingered in the entryway, causing my stomach to inaudibly grumble.

Suddenly, there was the sound of pots and pans clanging and loud, boisterous laughter followed by shushing, coming from what I assumed must be the kitchen.

Edward cringed, before ushering me into the house and shutting the door behind me.

"I, uh, come on. We're supposed to go to the den for appetizers or something."

He started walking, leading me through the living room into another room with more plush couches and a huge flat screen television.

Edward goes to sit down on one of the couches and I follow suit, sitting at the opposite end from him. I glance around the room, admiring the paintings and family pictures of what I assume to be a younger Edward with his parents.

There's movement behind me and I turned to see a tall, striking, blond haired man enter, carrying a plate of cheese and crackers.

He smiled wearily at me, flashing white teeth and set the platter down on the coffee table in front of us.

"Hello, you must be Bella!" He exclaimed, reaching out his hand and I stood, extending my own arm to shake his.

"It's great to meet you Dr. Cullen," I told him, slightly in awe of his extremely good looks.

"Please, call me Carlisle. It's a pleasure to have you come over for dinner."

I blushed slightly at his words, causing Carlisle to let out a light laugh. He turned, giving Edward a pointed look before excusing himself back to the kitchen.

"Um, where's your mom?"

"I'm sorry, I should have canceled tonight. Maybe you should just go home. Let me walk you out," Edward rambled, standing up.

"Woah, wait. Did I do something wrong, Edward? I'm sorry, please tell me." I stood in front of him, blocking his exit.

"No! No, of course not. Here, lets sit down I guess."

We both sat down in our respective spots on the couch again, he raked a hand through his hair before beginning.

"The reason I wasn't in school the other week was because I went back to Chicago. My grandfather died. He was my mothers father and the one who raised her. My grandmother, she died giving birth to my mother. Mom took his death really hard, so dad prescribed her some anti-anxiety meds and she's had a few too many to drink today and she's kind of a mess. It's really embarrassing. She had this big elaborate meal planned but ended up burning it so dad had to go pick up food."

Edward avoided eye contact with me the entire time he spoke, his face flaming red underneath the curtain of hair and glasses.

"Wow, Edward. I'm really sorry." I didn't know what to say to him. All my grandparents died before I could really remember anything, so I'd never experienced death first hand.

"Yeah, I mean. He was kind of like a second father to me, you know? He would watch me while my parents went out of town or they were at work. It really sucks."

Edward played with the hem of his t-shirt before looking up at me, giving me a tentative smile and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry I'm being such a downer. Come on, dinner's waiting."

He led me through the den, the appetizer platter forgotten and into the kitchen. There was a dining table over in the corner, set with plates and take-out cartons. From the adjoining room, Carlisle entered, leading what I assumed to be Edward's mother. For them not being related by blood, they still shared the same shade of green eyes. She was tall, taller than me and slender, her petite frame covered in a modest short-sleeved dress. She had shoulder length caramel colored hair, framing her pale face and hazel eyes. Which I noticed were slightly glossy dilated.

"Hi, you just have to be Bella!" She exclaimed, shaking her grip from Carlisle's hand and rushing to me, wrapping me in a full hug.

She squeezed me surprisingly tight and I squeaked a little, wincing.

Esme noticed my reaction and released me, chuckling. "Oh, I'm so sorry dear. It's just such a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you for having me, Ms. Cullen. Your home is really lovely."

She laughed, please, as I'm sure Carlisle told you, we aren't formal around here. Call me Esme.

"Okay," I smiled, "Esme."

"Besides, I feel like I practically know you already, Edward has told me so much about you!"

I had to catch myself to make sure I didn't react negatively. Carlisle stifled a laugh with a cough and Edward directed his gaze down again.

"Esme, dear. Let's not embarrass poor Edward. How about we sit down and eat, yes?"

Esme clapped her hands together, "Oh come on. You know how much he talked about her! Reminded me just of your mother, talking about the second coming of Christ!"

Edward just groaned and stomped off towards the dining table, pulling out my chair before sitting down in the chair next to mine.

Esme and Carlisle sat down across from us. Carlisle opened up the containers of food while Esme poured herself a glass of wine. When she set it back down on the table, he moved the containers closer to Esme, effectively making the wine bottle farthest from her.

"We got Italian, Bella. Do you like Italian? Your given name is Isabella, correct? That's Italian. Right Carlisle?" She asked, turning to her husband.

"I love Italian, actually. It's one of my favorites. My mothers maiden name is Higginbotham and my fathers is Swan, I'm not too sure about having Italian in me." I told her, scooping out lasagna and salad and putting it on my plate.

"Oh, what lovely names!" Esme exclaimed, passing me the garlic bread. "Isabella Swan."

Carlisle made eye contact with me and gave me a fatherly smile, silently thanking me for enduring the night so far.

We fell into conversation, about school, about my father, chief of police and the exciting crimes in Forks. They asked abut my hobbies, reading and listening to music. Edward remained silent the entire conversation, only answering questions when asked. Carlisle told me about his job at the hospital, the entire time Esme listened with rapt attention.

"Such an amazing man, my Carlisle. The Cullen men are such a catch, Bella." Esme told me with a wink.

I smiled, not knowing what to say. Is she trying to hook me up with her son?

"Well, I'm stuffed. I think I'll go lay down. Edward, why don't you let your father do all the clean-up and go show Bella the rest of the house. She might really enjoy it."

Okay. Maybe she was trying to hook me up with her son.

Edward wordlessly got up and motioned for me to follow him. I got up and he lead me through the living room, up the stairs and down a hallway to the very end of it. He opened the door and let me in first.

"So. This is my room."

I walked in further, taking it all in. It was a pretty big room, probably double the size of my own. On one wall, he had a full sized bed, facing a flat screen television on the wall that rivaled the size of the one in the den. There was a double closet and just past that, a little nook type place, the walls filled floor to ceiling with books, cds and vinyl. I walked over to it, eyeing his collections. He had a little something of everything it seemed and it was all organized by title.

I turned back to him and he looked nervous. "Wow. You have a really, really cool room. Your music and books are so organized."

He looked sheepish as he ran a hand through his hair. I was becoming very captivated by his messy head of bronze colored hair and his long, long fingers.

"Yeah, I don't go out much." He blushed at his words. "I mean, I like to be organized."

I walked over to the desk adjacent to his bed, picking up a stack of sheet music.

"You play an instrument?"

"Yeah. Piano, my grandfather taught me."

"Oh. Maybe you could play for me sometime?"

He seemed surprised by my words. "Yeah, sure. I mean, if you want me to."

I smiled in response and went back to the bed, sitting down and kicking my shoes off. I was suddenly worried that I was being too forward, too intrusive in his personal space.

However, the strange expression on his face didn't display any annoyance, just maybe…discomfort?

"You look so uncomfortable, I can leave? Or you could sit down…something?" I offered.

He sighed, eying the bed before sitting cross-legged in front of me.

"I'm really sorry about tonight. Thank you for being so…understanding about the whole thing."

I shrugged. "Your parents are really nice. Besides, I can't even imagine if anything happened to my parents. I don't know how I could even cope."

"Neither can I," Edward responded. He was quiet for a few minutes, playing with the same frayed hem on his shirt that he had been earlier.

"Are you okay though?"

He shrugged, still looking down. "Yeah, I mean, I'm doing good. It sucks he's gone, but it wasn't exactly unexpected. He had dementia, his mind… it had been going for some time now. He had lived with us for a couple of years up until a year ago, but it all just became too much for my mom. She had to put him in a home in Chicago that was nearby. He needed nearly constant supervision. He hardly recognized us before we moved. Dad was offered the job at the Forks hospital, he wanted to go someplace where he could make more of an impact, you know? But when Grandpa started getting worse, dad wanted to decline the job, but mom insisted."

Edward Cullen, my shy, mysterious lab partner just opened up to me with something intensely personal, that I did the only thing I knew I could. I reciprocated.

"My moms pregnant," I blurted out.

"Pregnant?" He asked, clearly surprised by our change of topic.

"Yeah. Phil, her new husband and her are having a baby. She's really excited."

"Oh. And you're not?"

I sighed, "No. I mean, yeah, I am. But it's weird for me, you know? I'm seventeen and I'm going to be a big sister. My mother is going to have a baby. A baby. I still don't think she really grasps that. She was young when she had me, but I've been pretty self sufficient my whole life. My mom, Renee, is older now. She has Phil, but he goes on the road and may not always be there. She wants me to move back in with them."

He gulped, looking up at me. "Move back? Where to?"

"Jacksonville, Florida. She really wants me to. I told her I'd consider it,. It's junior year though, I don't want to just pack up and move back across the country."

"Don't you want to be part of your new siblings life, though?"

"That's the thing. I feel so…disconnected from it all. All of this stuff is happening thousands of miles away from me. She has a new husband, she's going to have a baby. I don't want to intrude in on my mothers new life."

"Bella, I'm sure your mother doesn't feel that way."

"I know its stupid," I said with a shrug.

"It's not stupid," he argued.

Carlisle's knock on the door disrupted our conversation. "Bella? It's getting late, almost nine. I wouldn't want the chief sending out squad cars looking for you." He winked at me and then walked away.

"Let me walk you to the door," Edward said, standing up.

I slipped on my converse and followed him downstairs.

Carlisle was in the living room when we got down. "It was great meeting you Bella, unfortunately, my wife is fast asleep, otherwise she would definitely tell you the same."

"Thank you. I had a really good time tonight," I answered honestly.

Edward and I went outside to my truck.

"Your cars are really nice. My Chevy looks like shit compared to those."

"You should see my dad's car in the garage, it makes mine look ready for the junkyard."

I rolled my eyes, figuring it couldn't be that ostentatious.

I unlocked the door to my car and climbed in, turning on the engine to let the car heat up and rolled down the window.

"On Monday…what's going to happen, Edward?"

He looked confused. "I mean, we won't have the lunchtime studying to do. You don't acknowledge me in biology. Are you going to return to being…strangers?"

"Is that what you want?"

"No!" I yelled a little to loudly. "Not at all. I just want to be…prepared. Maybe you don't want to associate with me. I know my friends can be bitches."

Edward looked very surprised at my words. "We can talk. I thought you didn't want to."

"I do, Edward," I admitted. "I should go. Thanks for the great time."

Edward stepped away from the car and I drove away. Watching him grow smaller in the rear view mirror.

0-0

Monday at school, Rose stopped me on my walk to the cafeteria from Spanish class. Jessica had skipped fourth period to go over to Mike's house. I had no clue how she planned on graduating with all the ditching she was doing.

"Hey, Bella," Rose greeted me. She looked like a model, as always yet I couldn't help but feel a little less attractive than usual today. She was wearing a black, hooded, wool toggle coat and dark denim skinny jeans tucked into black knee high stiletto boots. I looked like an ogre.

"Hey Rose."

"I have that CD that you wanted to borrow. It's in my car. Can you come get it with me?"

"CD? I don't remember asking to borrow a CD."

She huffed dramatically. "God, Bella. Just come to the car and you'll remember it when you see it."

"Fine! Don't have to get all bitchy about it," I shot back.

Rosalie dragged me through the parking lot, stopping suddenly somewhere in the maze of cars.

"Okay, Bella. Spill. Don't even think about bullshitting me."

I feigned ignorance. "What are you talking about? Listen, I thought we were just going to your car to get the CD."

"You and Edward Cullen. You spent every day last week with him and now I find out that you went to dinner at his house? Is there something going on with the two of you?" Her tone was slightly accusatory and I struggled with what to say.

"What? How would you even know that?"

"So I'm right? Tyler was driving home with his grandmother Friday night from Church. He drove past the Cullen's house and saw you two standing outside."

"Oh," I said dumbly.

"Yeah. Oh. I told him he better not tell anyone else. You know he won't though, he's been dying to get in my pants."

I sighed, relieved.

"Are you two having some secret romance? Is he like your boyfriend or your fuckbuddy? He doesn't seem like he'd be a Casanova in the sack, but you do need to get laid."

I blanched.

"Don't be dumb, Rose. Mr. Banner asked me to help him catch up and that's what I'm doing. His parents invited me to dinner as a thank you for helping him. I didn't want to be rude."

"So you guys are like…friends, then?"

"No, like I said. Edward is just the kid I sit next to in class and was told to help. He's nothing to me. Not friends, barely acquaintances."

"You still went to dinner at his place. You could have said you weren't able to, or that you didn't need thanking," Rose continued to pry.

"His dad's a DILF and his mom was all loopy. Edward hardly talked. They're all freaks."

Behind me, there was the sound of books falling onto the wet cement, Rose's eyes flashed from my face to where the noise came from, her eyes widening. I turned, wondering what caused her reaction, only to see Edward standing a few feet away from me on the other side of a car.

"I'm…I'm sorry. I wasn't eavesdropping," he said as his gaze met mine.

I could have handled a look of anger or even fury in his eyes. I couldn't handle the look of sheer hurt and disappointment I was instead greeted with. His face flushed red and he quickly bent down to retrieve his fallen books before rushing away towards his Volvo.

"Shit, Bella," Rose shook her head.

Yeah, shit.

* * *

Hi! I first off want to say a HUGE thank you to all my readers. Especially the ones who have put this story on alert, favorited it and reviewed. You guys ROCK! Seriously. This chapter was a bitch to get out and is the longest one from this story yet and i still didn't get to everything i hoped to cover in it. The pictures of Edward and his parents cars are on my LJ. There's also a couple pics of how i envision Edward in this story. The link for that is on my profile. **I'll send you a teaser of chapter five if you review! **Or if you follow me on Twitter (link on profile) i'll put the teaser up on there.


	5. Chapter 5

Just a note of clarification for the time line of the story. Renee's day of conception is November of 2006. Her due date is Late August, 2007. Edward moved to Forks before Christmas, Bella saw him on his first day, the first day back from winter break.

This is just a short chapter, if i included everything I wanted to, I would never get it posted. Next one will be longer!

Super important A/N at the bottom. Please read!

* * *

I turned my head away from Rose, only to see the Volvo dangerously peel out of the parking lot. I let my eyes linger once his car was out of sight.

"Do you think he heard me?" I asked Rose, my lame attempt at a joke. Truth be told, I could feel my eyes begin to mist. I don't think I'd ever felt like a bigger bitch in my life.

Rosalie rolled her eyes at me. "I've never seen you act like such a bitch."

"Thanks, Rose." She didn't bring up Edward for the rest of lunch. Instead, we sat in Rosalie's car, eating our brown bagged lunches in silence.

As I figured, Edward didn't return to school the rest of the day. He wasn't in biology Tuesday, either. No one else seemed to notice him, but I I wanted to call, email or something. I'd even settle for tweeting him. How can I express my apologies in 140 characters? I couldn't do any of these things; I had no way of contacting him. I briefly considered going to his house, but I didn't know if he had told his parents. I figured either way I wouldn't be very welcomed.

0-0

I was laying on my bed Tuesday night, unable to focus long enough to do any homework. My cell phone was on the bed beside me and I couldn't help but check it every few minutes to see if I had a missed call or text, although the ringer was as loud as it would go. Edward didn't even have my phone number.

My cell rang at 8 and I only glanced briefly at the called ID before answering.

"Hey, mom." I cringed, hearing the tone of disappointment in my voice.

"Bella! Is that any way to greet your mother? You sound so disappointed." Renee's voice was teasing.

"I'm sorry, mom." I apologized. "Just in a weird mood I guess."

"Hey, i'm the pregnant lady. There's no room for two moody women in this family." Renee joked, laughing. "It's a boy. Isn't it?"

"What are you even talking about?" I asked her, feigning ignorance. The last thing I needed tonight was the infamous 'Bella you've never been anything but a blessing but you don't want to end up eighteen, knocked up and pregnant like me' lecture.

She sighed, "Bella, I know you. I know that tone of voice even though I've never heard it from you. There's a boy. Tell me, who is it. All the details."

Renee was entirely in her element when it came to gossip. More often than not, I was her friend first, her daughter second.

"It's really nothing. There was a guy, sort of. But now there's not. I did a really bitchy thing," I admitted to her.

"Oh honey, tell me all about it." Renee's voice was sympathetic. Her main concern when I moved to Forks was that I would 'fall into the wrong crowd.' Apparently, when she was a teen nearly everyone was hopped up on drugs. Now, not so much. At least not in Forks.

I took a deep breath before I spoke. It was like the floodgates had been released, it felt ridiculously amazing to just rehash the events.

Surprisingly, mom listened with rapt attention, nearly silent the entire time.

When it was over, she let out a huge gust of wind.

"Wow, sweetie that sure is tough. That really doesn't sound like you though. What are you going to do?"

I sighed, " I don't know. He left school during lunch yesterday and he wasn't in school today. If he's there tomorrow I'll talk to him."

"Isabella…is this boy the reason you're so hesitant to move to Jacksonville? You're the same age I was when I first met your father. I don't want you putting your life on hold just because some boy comes along. I just think you should do what you have to, to make amends and then come here. I'd hate for you to be trapped just like I-"

"Mom! Stop." I hissed, "I really, really don't want to argue with you. Just know that it's not like that, okay? Edward isn't factoring in this decision. Just... let's change the subject."

"Fine, Bella. I'll drop it…for now."

"Thank you," I huffed, slightly annoyed.

"I went to the doctors last Friday. Baby Dwyer has a good, healthy heartbeat."

"That's great, mom," I told her. I couldn't help but feel guilty about not being around and missing out on something so major.

"Yes. Thank God there was only one heartbeat though. You know Phil has twins on his side of the family. We found a great house and put an offer on it. You'd really like it, sweetie."

I sighed, her subtle guilt trip working. "I know, mom. I'll come visit soon. Spring Break is in a couple weeks and I can visit again near your due date."

"That's perfect, Bella. I'm due the beginning of August. You'll have a month to spend here before you have to go back to Forks for school. Unless..." Renee trailed off. She could be really unrelenting when she wanted to be.

"Mom, I have a lot of homework to do and it's getting late. I'll check flights tomorrow and i'll email you when I book one. Okay?"

"Okay honey. Goodnight, love you," Renee replied, letting out a yawn.

"Night. Love you too," I answered before hanging up.

0-0

The next morning before school I checkout flights and booked a round-trip from Sea Tac to Sky Harbor and sent a quick email to my mom to let her know the plan. I had to admit, a week away from all the crazy going on around here would be good. Very good. I think.

"What are you looking for?" Lauren asked me at lunch that day.

"What?"

"You're looking for something. Or someone. Tell me," She demanded. Rose kicked me under the table and rolled her eyes. In return I shot her the nastiest look I could muster.

Jessica caught on to our silent conversation and glared.

"Okay. You guys are keeping something from Lauren and me. Secrets don't make friends, Bella."

I honestly felt like I was back in elementary school. Secrets don't make friends? Please. While that may be true, Jessica and Lauren confided in me with their own secrets, including those about each other. Pot; meet kettle.

"It's nothing," I told her, mentally cringing at lying yet again. Lying, I had come to find out, is very easy once you start. It comes almost naturally, these half truths and blatant lies.

"Fine. Whatever." Jessica relented. "Anyways. That freaky Cullen kid has been missing a lot of school lately."

"Has he?" I asked, earning another kick from Rose. I didn't even bother acknowledging her this time.

"Yeah," Lauren answered. "I heard he has some disease. Like an STD that he got from some chick and that's why he moved here. Cause everyone found out about it and no one would go near him. So he's in treatment for it. I think either syphilis or gonorrhea."

I almost choked on the sandwich I was eating.

"That's such bullshit, Lauren." Rose said, shaking her head. "A lot STDs can be treated with meds. It's no reason to move halfway across the country to this place."

Lauren should know better. Last June she had an STD/pregnancy scare where she was convinced her vag would either rot off or she'd gain fifty pounds and be a teen mom. It resulted in the four of us taking a trip to the planned parenthood in Port Angeles and a lengthy lecture from one of the counselors there about practicing safe sex.

"Yeah. I heard that he's like, schizophrenic or bipolar or some shit and goes all crazy and has to be locked up in his room. The only reason he's not committed or anything is because his dad's a doctor and treats him.

The idea that kids were sitting around gossiping about someone they didn't even bother to know and saying such harsh things about him sickened me. It wasn't fair to him. But who was I to judge my peers? My actions weren't any better. I was pretty sure that I was the reason that he wasn't in school. Meaning that I was partly to blame for the spreading of these heinous rumors.

A very dizzying and nauseating feeling fell over me. I sat, practically shell shocked at my revelation for the rest of lunch.

In biology, we had been working on group labs. Of course, Edward was supposed to be my lab partner. I ended up completing the lab on my own and walked up to Mr. Banners desk with my finished worksheet.

"Oh thank you, Bella. I'm sorry you have to take the workload on yourself. It seems that Mr. Cullen is ill. His mother emailed me to let me know he would be out the rest of the week," Mr. Banner informed me.

Out the rest of the week? Ill? "If you like, I can drop off some homework for him." I said before I could shut my mouth.

"You would? That would be great, Bella. You're such a good student," he complimented.

When class let out, I had a stack of work for Edward. But still no real plan.

0-0

The rest of my classes passed by in a blur. As soon as the 7th period bell rang, signaling the end of school, I shot out of class and headed to my truck.

Of course, Charlie was still at the station when I got home from school. So I paced. Back and forth in the living room, trying to come up with some sort of solution. Hoping that some sort of answer would just drop from the sky.

I couldn't take it anymore. This shouldn't be bothering me this much. Jessica and Lauren do this shit all the time to other kids. It was just a few months ago that they had Victoria in tears in the girls bathroom because they commented that it looked like she had gained a few.

I didn't have any of the ingredients for chicken noodle soup, so I had to make do with the canned stuff. I rummaged through the cabinet, searching for a pot big enough to heat the soup up in. I stirred the soup as it began to simmer, wondering what I would say to Edward. _Hi, sorry to hear you're sick? Hey Edward, I know I was a royal bitch to you on Monday?_

None of that would work... would it?

0-0

I parked my rusted Chevy outside the Cullen's house. I had emptied out my backpack of all my school stuff and it was now filled with Edwards schoolwork, two thermos' of soup, a thermos of honey lemon tea and a bag of the oatmeal cookies I had baked a couple days ago. I had brought enough for two with the bold assumption that he would let me join him.

All three cars were parked out front. I hesitantly walked up the path to the front door. I stood there, index finger hesitating over the doorbell. As if on it's own, my finger pushed forward, causing the bell to chime.

A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing Esme. She was wearing an apron smeared with flour and was wiping her hands on a towel.

"Bella, dear. What a surprise!" She greeted me. Her smile was tight.

"Um…hi. Is Edward here? I have his schoolwork."

"Of course, he's in his room. Why don't you go see him. Do you remember where it is?"

I nodded. She stepped aside, letting me past her. She gave me one last tight smile before retreating back to the kitchen. I went up the stairs, feeling the slight panic rise, realizing that my peace-offering and half thought out apology wasn't enough.

His bedroom door was closed and there was no noise coming from behind it.

I brought my fist up to the door and knocked lightly.

"It's open," Edward's voice sounded different to me, foreign almost from how he sounded Friday night at dinner.

I took a deep breath and opened the door slowly. He was lying on his bed above the covers. His glasses were on his nightstand and his arm rested over his eyes. He was wearing a white t-shirt with grey sweats.

"Hi," I squeaked out.

All relevant thought went out the window.

* * *

It's my birthday today. I'd love me some reviews!

So, i'm sure you all know about the earthquake in Haiti and the devastation it's left. Now, you can help! If you donate a $5 minimum, you can receive a compilation of various works from a ton of authors (myself included!) by simply emailing a copy of the receipt of your donation by 1/24 to the email address listed in the website I provided below. Not all of the stories will be Twific, some will be original works. However, i'll be doing something Twilight related. Pierced and parka'd peenward, anyone? Just a note, these stories won't be found anywhere else. The authors are doing this as a special thank-you for your donation!

Here's the link to find out more about the compilation and donation: http:/mskathyff(dot)blogspot(dot)com/2010/01/haiti(dot)html Just replace the (dot) with a period.

Pictures for this story can be found on my LJ, the link is on my profile. Talk to me on Twitter (at)HappyMess89


	6. Chapter 6

I stood there awkwardly, teetering back and forth on my feet, the weight of the backpack feeling entirely too heavy now.

Hearing a voice that was clearly not his mothers or fathers, Edward lifted his forearm off of his face and quickly sat up, haphazardly shoving his glasses on his face, causing them to sit lopsided on the bridge of his nose.

"Um, Bella. Hi. What are you doing here?" He asked, adjusting his glasses, his gaze never meeting mine.

"Your mom let me in. Mr. Banner said you're sick...so I brought you some soup and tea. I didn't make the soup... I just heated it up. I'm sorry."

"Wow, thanks... you really shouldn't have though." Edward mumbled, swinging his sock clad feet around to sit off the edge of the bed.

"Oh! I also have you biology schoolwork. That's kinda lame I guess, but maybe since you're sick and everything, you might get bored and won't want to get behind." Yeah, definitely rambling now but I had no clue what else to say.

Hadn't I had some sort of idea as to what to say earlier?

"Thanks, you can just put it over on my desk, please," Edward instructed, pointing over to his book covered desk.

I emptied out the schoolwork and food onto his desk and zipped the backpack back up. Walking back to the door, I lingered, hoping that he would stop me, or say something or at least look at me.

But I assumed wrong.

I continued to linger way longer than necessary or what would look casual. Edward kept his face down, eyes diverted to the rug. This was one of my most awkward moments ever.

Well, maybe that one summer I spent here with Charlie when I was twelve and my "Monthly Visitor" decided to make its first appearance and I freaked out, too embarrassed to say anything.

I sighed and turned around, ready to admit defeat and go home.

"I'm not sick, you know," Edward said to my retreating figure.

I braced my left hand on the door frame, feeling a tightening in my chest.

"You're not sick? You haven't been in school though..." I trailed off, still facing away from him.

"I'm not sick. I just, needed some time off. So, while the soup and tea was a thoughtful gesture, you can take it back with you." His voice was quiet, unsure and almost cold sounding. I hated the thought that I could have caused this. But so far, he had only confirmed my suspicions.

I turned around, his eyes finally meeting mine. "Edward, I- I'm so, so sorry. If you would just let me explain, I was totally wrong." My voice was begging with him, pleading him to just allow me to explain, so I could lift this horrible guilt I felt.

"Bella."

"Edward, come on. I made a mistake. Please. Tell me what I can do to make this right," I pleaded with him.

He sighed, looking back down again. "I don't know. I think you should leave, Bella. Thank you for bringing the biology work."

His tone of voice held such finality that I paused, stunned at what was happening. I turned and left quickly, the two thermoses forgotten.

I skipped down the stairs, briefly saying good-bye to Esme when she called out to me from the kitchen.

I hopped back into my car and started it, letting it idle. I grasped the steering wheel with both hands, causing my knuckles to go white and let out an exasperated growl.

What did I expect though, really? I had done a bitchy thing, true, but the whole school treated Edward bad. How was that I did any worse? We weren't friends. We were barely acquaintances. Every day kids talk shit about each other to their faces and behind their backs. What I did was no worse. Right?

It was then that I decided to absolve my guilt and move on. Screw Edward Cullen.

"Edward Cullen." Jessica said, sitting down at the lunch table Thursday afternoon.

"What about him, Jess?" Rose asked, looking bored as she moved her food around on her plate.

"Mike took me to dinner last night and we saw him last night at the Lodge with his dad and his mom. We were seated at the table next to theirs. Talk about awkward, Mike started to try to cop a feel but there was no way I was going to let that happen. I mean, come on, Dr. Cullen knows my father, they golfed together or some shit."

"Jessica!" Rose called out, snapping her fingers. "Concentrate!'

"Oh," she giggled. "Anyways... Cullen was totally sulking about something and his parents were trying to be all supportive and his dad went all therapist on him and tried to get him to talk about his feelings. All I know was it's about some girl, something about some girl being a bitch."

"A girl?" Lauren asked, suddenly looking interested.

"Yeah, some girl. Although I can't imagine what girl. You'd have to be pretty hard up to fuck with Cullen. It was probably that gonorrhea girl in Chicago."

"Yeah, probably." Rose scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Are you okay, Bella? You've been awfully quiet," Jessica commented.

"Yeah. I mean no. I'm feeling a little hot." I touched my forehead with the back of my hand. "Yeah. I'm going to go to the nurses office for a bit."

"Are you sure, Bella? If you wait like thirty minutes more you can just ask to leave during class and get out of school for the rest of the day," Lauren said. "I can blow off my last three classes and we can go to the movies or something."

I shook my head, "No, Lauren. I'm really not feeling well. I'll talk to you guys later."

Gathering my book bag and the remnants of my brown bagged lunch, I stood and said bye to the girls.

I had every intention of going to the nurses office to lie down for a while. Truthfully, I didn't feel good. There was some sort of bug going around school though, so I just attributed it to that.

Walking past the open library doors though, my feet moved on their own accord and I walked into the library.

I was met with near silence, save for the soft sounds of fingers typing on keyboards and the quiet murmur of voices. I walked through the rows and rows of books, trying to justify why I was in the library.

I always loved to read. Before I moved to Forks, I spent most of my time with my nose in a book. But moving here and befriending Lauren, Jessica and Rose, I found myself going to parties, the movies and shopping.

So I decided that I would just browse the shelves and pick something out, knowing that neither Jessica or Lauren would come in the library.

I turned to go down one of the end aisles was against the wall, faltering my steps when I saw that it was already occupied by two people, a boy and a girl.

The boy had his head resting, eyes closed, in the girls lap and she was absentmindedly stroking his hair while holding a book in her free hand.

It was Victoria, the girl who Jessica and Lauren made cry in the girls bathroom, with her boyfriend, James.

Hearing me approach, Victoria looked over the top of her book at me and James angled his head in my direction, opening his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry," I apologized, feeling guilty to interrupt what seemed like an intimate moment.

"It's no problem," Victoria assured me. "Come, join us."

I looked over to James, who only smiled.

I hesitated. Feeling awkward. I mean, I didn't even know these people and here they were asking me to join them? I felt rude though to turn them down, so I smiled before sitting down, near James feet.

They were an interesting couple. Victoria had the naturally reddest hair I had ever seen, falling in waves and curls down her back. Her right ear was pierced from the cartilage down to her lobe and she wore lots of chunky jewelry. She opted for long, flowing skirts and sandals, regardless of the weather.

James, on the other hand, had long, dirty blond hair that he kept tied back in a low ponytail and both of his ears were gauged. He wore faded and torn camouflage pants and a leather jacket.

"I'm Victoria, this is my boyfriend, James." She introduced herself.

"I'm Bella."

"I know." She responded. When I looked confused, she continued. "You're friends with Jessica and them. Plus, you were big news when you moved here."

"Oh, yeah." Awkward silence. What could I say? Oh, I'm sorry my friends made you cry. They weren't my actions to apologize for.

We didn't talk the rest of lunch. Victoria resumed reading and stroking James hair, while he just laid with his eyes closed.

When the bell rang, we stood, stretching out our cramped muscles.

"We usually hang out here every lunch. It's better than any of the other options," Victoria said, grabbing her bag and throwing it over her shoulder.

"Okay, cool." Did that mean they expected me to join them again tomorrow? It actually did sound better than the cafeteria. But what would Jessica, Lauren and Rose say?

After lunch, I did go to the nurses office. Apparently, due to some bug going around the school, the nurse recommend that I be sent home.

Nurse Carmen called my father at the station and after a quick conversation with him, she handed me the phone.

"Your father would like to speak with you."

I took the phone from her and held it up to my ear.

"Hey, dad." I greeted him, hoping that my voice would convey some of the unrecognizable sickness I felt in my body."Hi Bells. Heard you're sick. Need me to come home? I can stop by the school on the way and come get you."

Hearing Charlies sincerely concerned voice made the knot in my stomach tighten minutely. "No dad. It's okay. I'm just going to drive home and sleep it off. Will you be home for dinner?"

"If you're sure, Bella. I'll be home around six, but don't worry about dinner. I'll pick something up for us at the diner. Call me if you start feeling worse."

"'Kay. Talk to you later."

When I got home, there was a brown paper bag with the top folded down sitting on my front porch. Inside the bag was the two thermoses, cleaned, with a note written in black ink.

_Thanks._

_

* * *

_Please review!_  
_


	7. Chapter 7

Stephenie Meyer still owns all things Twilight.

* * *

I didn't have much time to think about Edward and his note. Or how bad Thursday had gone. I had a flight early Saturday morning, so I came home straight after school to begin packing. It had been a while since I had seen my mom or Phil. Not since last Summer.

I pulled my large purple suitcase out from under my bed and haphazardly threw in the only warm weather clothes I had left. A measly four tank tops and a couple pairs of skirts. Hopefully, my mom would have clothes I could borrow. Or she would insist on a shopping trip. Although the latter was probably imminent. She was having way too much fun shopping in the maternity section.

Charlie had taken tonight and tomorrow off from work so he could drive me to Seattle tomorrow morning. I knew that if I wouldn't cook, he would end up eating out every night, so I had made a quick stop at the Thriftway to buy ingredients for lasagna and chicken casserole so he would at least have one decent meal a day.

With the chicken caserole already in the oven and the lasagna ready to be baked, I went upstairs and switched on my laptop.

A chat box popped up as soon as I logged into gmail.

**JessicaGoneWild:** Hey bb!

**PhnxGrl00:** Hey Jess... why are you home?

**JessicaGoneWild:** Ugh. Grounded. Parents r so lame!!!!! Failed math test.

**PhnxGrl00: **That sucks.

**JessicaGoneWild:** I know! I might be able to hang out during SB. Seattle?

**PhnxGrl00:** Can't. Going to Jacksonville to visit my mom and step dad.

**JessicaGoneWild:** : ( Jealous! Hot weather n hotter boys!

**PhnxGrl00:** Oh yeahh. Wooo partay.

**JessicaGoneWild:** hey maybe this time you'll come back with a tan? lol

**PhnxGrl00:** Maybe.

**JessicaGoneWild: **moms bitching. g2g. bring me back a souvenir and hot guy pics, k?

**PhnxGrl00:** Sure Jess. ttyl.

_**JessicaGoneWild has logged off**_

I sighed, shaking my head at my conversation with Jessica. Part of me wanted to tell her about the baby and how I was sort of scared about how my life would be impacted from it.

I was aching to tell someone. Rosalie would listen to me, but she's the kind of person that would tell me to just suck it up and roll with the punches. I wasn't like that. I tended to wallow.

Going downstairs, I heard the dinging of the oven timer going off. Charlie was sitting on his recliner, eyes glued to the television.

"Um, dad? How long has the timer been going off?" I glanced at the clock over the television, but couldn't remember when I had put the chicken casserole in the oven.

"Huh?" Charlie looked up at me, blinking. "Oh, a minute or two."

"Okay..." I trailed off, wondering why Charlie hadn't called me down or taken the food out of the oven himself.

"Sorry, Bells. Just got a little caught up watching TV." Charlie chuckled, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Dinner's ready?"

"No. This is for when I'm away. Can you just order a pizza, maybe?"

"Sure, Bella. Combination okay?"

"Yeah, dad. Whatever you want." I went into the kitchen and turned the timer off, taking out the casserole out of the oven and putting in the lasagna.

I didn't know if I was being stupid or not, but the fact that Charlie didn't even get up to turn off the timer worried me and I felt a pang of guilt at the thought of leaving him for a week.

Lately, I had felt many pangs of guilt.

***

I woke up at five am the next morning to Charlie nudging me, holding out a cup of coffee.

"Come on, Bells. We have to get going in an hour. Flights in 5 hours. Your mother will have my head if you miss your flight."

I took the cup of coffee from him and took a long drink of the steaming hot liquid. Charlie retreated from my room and I got out of bed, stretching.

The hot water of the shower helped me to wake up and when I got out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around me and padded back to my bedroom.

I took one long, last look at my still warm bed, before getting dressed. I had set out a pair of yoga pants, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt, wanting to be as comfy as possible on the long flight.

Making sure that my iPod and a book were in my carry on, I dragged my suitcase downstairs and wheeled it to the door, coffee mug in hand.

Charlie was standing in the kitchen, pouring the remaining coffee from the carafe into a travel mug.

"Ready?"

"Yup," I responded after emptying my cup.

"Here," Charlie stuck out his arm, holding something wrapped in paper towel in front of me. "It's a bagel and cream cheese. Breakfast on the go."

The simple gesture caused a wave of emotion to wash over me and before I knew it, I leaped forward and wrapped Charlie in a hug. "Thanks, dad."

He was taken back by my action and froze, before awkwardly patting my back.

***

The drive to Seattle passed in silence, except for the sound of the radio playing softly in the background. The gentle rocking of the car began to lull me to sleep, but I fought against it, wanting instead to sleep on the plane, if need be.

"Are you sure you don't want me to park and see you off?" Charlie asked as we neared the airport.

"It's okay, dad. I've flown by myself before. I know what to do," I told him, smiling slightly.

He exited the freeway and drove along the maze, trying to find the domestic flights terminal.

Pulling over in the drop off zone, he turned off the car and got out.

"Here you go," Charlie said, pulling the suitcase out of the trunk.

I thanked him, pulling the handle of the suitcase up. "I'll call."

"Sure, sure. Have a good time, Bells."

"Well, bye." I threw the strap of my carry on across my body and turned, walking into the building.

I went through security and then found where my plane was departing. I still had a long time to wait until the plane was supposed to board. If it was on time.

***

Thankfully, I was able to sleep on the plane, even though there were two screaming babies on the flight. Screaming babies....

I texted my mom to let her know that my flight had landed. We already made plans to meet by the baggage claim.

"Oh, my baby!" My moms voice sounded out, louder than all those around. I cringed a little, hoping she wasn't making a scene.

My mom looked different from when I had last seen her. She was wearing a sundress and actually looked like she was glowing. When she enveloped me in a hug, I could feel a small, hard bump pushing into my stomach.

It made everything more real.

"Hey, kiddo." Phil greeted me, wrapping me in a one armed hug as he took the suitcase from me.

We stopped at a restaurant on the way to the hotel they were living at. During the drive there, I made a quick call to Charlie, letting him know everything went good.

The week passed much as I suspected. My mom dragged me out to a bunch of baby and maternity stores. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the sex of the baby, so she justified shopping for him/her already, buying everything in gender neutral colors.

We also went to Phil's practices and my mom would eagerly cheer him on whenever he did something good.

Renee even manage to drag me to the beach one day. She wore a bikini, flaunting her tan skin and slight bump. I, on the other hand wore a one piece with a cover up. And SPF 50.

There were other changes I noticed in her too. We always had to make sure that there was a bathroom nearby and Phil would often be sent out to pick up whatever craving my mother had. Or she burst into tears.

It was the last full day of spring break that I would be in Jacksonville and my mom and I were at brunch together. Phil had been banned from it, Renee stating that it was strictly girl time.

"Bella. You've been moping around here for the past week." Renee stated, looking up from her eggs benedict.

She cut me off as soon as I opened my mouth to speak. "Don't. I know you, Bella. You're my baby girl. Is this still about that boy?"

I sighed, knowing that I couldn't escape this conversation. Especially not with her right across from me.

"I just feel bad, mom. I mean, I apologized! I did what I should have done! I even brought him soup and tea when I thought he was sick. I don't think I have to say or do anything more." I threw my fork down, leaning back into the chair.

"Bella, did you even hear yourself just then? It was all about you. I think what you need to do is take his feelings more into consideration. You were the new kid once. Even though you didn't have any real issues making friends, you have to sympathize or have some inkling of what it would be like."

Wow. When did my mom get all...motherly?

"You're right," I sighed. "I just don't know what to do."

"Just make sure you use protection. I'm too young for any grandbabies and baby Dwyer is too young to be an aunt."

I blushed. "Mom! It's not even like that for me. And even if it was, I'm pretty sure he hates me."

"I'm just saying, Bella."

"I'm going to miss you. I can't believe I go back tomorrow."

"Bella, I know that I haven't brought it up during your trip, but Phil and I would love you to move back in with us."

I shook my head. "Mom, please? I know you want me too. It's just, it's a big decision for me. What if I move back and I end up wanting to go to college in Washington? Or if you guys decide you want to move or Phil's job requires him to move?"

"Bella, we'll just take things as they come."

"I don't know. I feel like I have someplace more...constant in Forks. But, can we just change the subject? Please? It's my last day here," I pleaded.

"Okay, honey. Let's just go back to the hotel. I need a quick nap."

While my mom was napping and Phil was out with a couple of friends from the team, I called Charlie. I hadn't checked in with him since Wednesday, when I went to the beach.

"Hey, dad," I greeted Charlie when he picked up on the second ring.

"Hey, Bells... I was beginning to think you had forgotten about your old man." I knew Charlie meant the comment to be joking, but I felt that part of him actually felt that way.

"Of course not. You know mom, she's been on the go constantly. Dragging me along."

He laughed, "Don't I know it."

"So yeah, I was just calling to check in. Let you know that I should arrive on time back to Seattle."

"That's good. Oh, before I forget, Bella. There's been a boy calling for you."

"A boy," I repeated. What boy would call my house?

"Yeah, phone's been ringing quite more frequently than usual. Whenever I picked up, the line would go dead."

"That's weird. Probably some bored kids, prank calling."

"Well, The calls were getting kind of frequent, so I looked into it. It was the Cullen residence."

Cullen residence? _Edward._

"Oh?" I questioned, trying to sound uninterested.

"I thought it might be Dr. Cullen needing something, so I called back. His wife, Esme answered and she said neither her or her husband tried calling."

"That's weird. Maybe the phone company was wrong?" I lied. I felt my heart start to speed up. Was Edward calling my house? Did he want to talk to me? Didn't I tell him that I was leaving for spring break?

"Bells, you're seventeen now. I may not like it, but I can put up with it."

My forehead scrunched in confusion. "You aren't making sense. Put up with what?"

"The Cullen boy, if he's your boyfriend. I just wish you would have told me before."

"What?!" I yelled. Edward, my boyfriend? No way. "He's not my boyfriend, dad. He's just a boy. From school. We're lab partners. And I helped him catch up. I went to dinner at his house. Remember? He probably just had some question about school."

More lies. I thought I was going to stop lying?

"I don't know if he knows that, Bella. Boy's got it bad. I didn't even call your mother that much when I was trying to get her to go out with me."

By now, my heart was full on pounding.

"Dad..."

"In any case, Mrs. Cullen said she'd have a talk with the boy. He hasn't called since yesterday."

"Oh," I responded, slightly disappointed. "Well, that's good."

"Just do me a favor, Bella. Throw the kid a bone or let him down easily. From what I've heard, the Cullen's are really good people."

This surprised me. I would have thought that Charlie, despite who the boy was, would lock me away in my bedroom at the thought of his little girl dating.

***

After a tearful goodbye at the airport and a long flight home, I was glad to be back in Washington.

My mother had been nearly inconsolable at the airport, but Phil told me it was mostly due to hormones and I shouldn't feel guilty about leaving, as my mother clung to me, sobbing.

In return for letting go of me, I promised I would call and email her more often.

On the flight home, I couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved to be going back to Forks. Yes, I missed my mom and Phil, but spending the last week in Jacksonville showed me just how much my mother had changed in my absence and I didn't feel like I exactly belonged. But I didn't really want to think about that. Not just yet.

Charlie couldn't hide that he was at least a little happy to have me back and thanked me for the food I had cooked, saying that it was a lifesaver.

Monday at lunch, I sat with Jessica, Lauren and Rose.

Much to Jessica's dismay, she had been grounded the entire week and instead of partying or out with Mike, she was helping her mother with her catering business.

Lauren had gone with her parents on a five day cruise in Mexico. She came back sun kissed and with a new belly button ring.

Rosalie's parents had been busy at work all week, so she had spent spring break in Seattle with Emmett. His school was still in session, so she had hung out with Alice during the day and Emmett after his classes. Apparently, her and Alice had become close friends, which was weird for Rose. She had lived in Forks all her life, yet still only had acquaintances out of our immediate group.

Edward wasn't in the cafeteria at lunch, not like I expected him to be. He also wasn't in biology, which was weird because I had seen his Volvo in the parking lot this morning. Not like I was purposely looking, or anything.

Thankfully, Charlie hadn't brought up Edward or the frequent phone calls again. I didn't call him yesterday because, well, I didn't have a legitimate reason.

When I woke up Tuesday morning, I resolved that today I would try to talk to Edward at lunch. I mean, he clearly wanted to talk to me if he was calling so much, right? He didn't seem the type that liked to spend his free time prank calling the Chiefs house.

"Hey, Jess, I'm going to go to the bathroom, I'll just meet you in the cafeteria." I told Jessica, stopping in front of the bathroom door.

"Are you sure? I can just like, wait for you."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I never really understood the whole, 'girls going to the bathroom in groups' thing.

"No, It's totally fine. I'll just... I'll see you later." Jessica just shrugged and continued to make her way to the cafeteria.

Keeping up pretenses, I did go into the bathroom and splashed some cool water on my face in an attempt to liven me up a little bit.

With my head held high, I walked out of the bathroom and headed towards the library.

I wandered through the library, debating whether or not I truly wanted to find Edward, when I spotted him. In the corner of the library Edward sat at a circular table, joined by Ben, Angela, Victoria and James. I took a deep breath and walked over.

"You came. You didn't show up yesterday," Victoria's voice was slightly accusatory, but mostly just stating a fact as I walked up next to her at the table.

"Um, yeah. Can I sit here?" I asked, gesturing to the empty seat between Angela and Edward.

"Go ahead, Angela said, smiling.

When I sat down, I noticed Edward visibly stiffen next to me from my periphery.

That wasn't good. Whatever.

The group wasn't the most talkative. There was some conversation between all of us, but then the two couples went into their little couple bubbles and I pulled out my math homework. Besides me, Edward was scribbling furiously and illegibly in a notebook.

I chickened out and didn't say anything. Plus, I didn't want to have an audience.

***

If the girls, especially Jessica, were suspicious of me missing lunch at all, they didn't show it. I bumped into them in the hallway between lunch and fifth period and we made plans to go out to dinner that night.

In Biology, Edward made no acknowledgment of me, except for the visible change in rigidness of his posture when I plopped myself down in my seat next to him.

When a student from Mrs. Paugh's class next door came in to borrow the projector, the class broke out into chatter as Mr. Banner helped move it.

"What are you doing after school?" I asked, turning to Edward. I figured now was as good a time as any. We didn't necessarily have an audience this time around.

"I was just going home," Edward answered, fidgeting with the pen in his hand. "Why?"

"Do you think we could like, go someplace? You could pick me up at my house," I internally cringed. Picking me up at my house seemed too date like. No boy had ever picked me up from my house. "Or, we could just meet at the park, if you'd like."

"Um, sure, yeah. What time?" Edward didn't need to ask what park. Besides the state park, there was only one park in town, Tilicum park.

"About four? I'll be by the swings."

"Sounds good." Edwards cheeks tinged pink and I couldn't help but feel mine warming as well. Mr. Banner returned just then, before Edward could ask why I wanted to meet with him, much to my relief.

We didn't talk throughout the rest of biology.

Rose sent a text to Lauren, Jessica and me, letting us know to meet at her house at six-thirty. That left two and a half hours to meet with Edward.

I went home to find Charlie with a beer in one hand, sitting in his recliner, watching the Mariners.

"Hey, dad. I'm just stopping by. I'm going out with the girls, I won't be back too late. There's still some leftover hamburger patties in the fridge," I said, taking off my coat.

"Sure, Bella. Have fun," Charlie was so wrapped up in his game, I doubt he even heard a word I said.

After a quick freshening up, I dashed back downstairs, stopping by the kitchen to get Charlie another beer.

"Here, dad," I said, setting it down next to him.

"Thanks, kid," Charlie called after me, over his shoulder.

***

I was a bit early to the park, by a bit, I mean fifteen minutes. I got out of my car, having parked it on the opposite side of the park and wiped my clammy hands on the side of my jeans. I was a bit nervous.

I wasn't really aware of what I was going to say.

My nervousness increased when I saw that Edward was already at the swings, swaying lightly back and forth.

"Hey," I greeted him, taking a seat on the swing next to him.

"Hi," Edward responded, holding out a can of coke to me. He had one too, sitting in the sand next to him.

"Thanks. You're here early," I commented.

"You are too. I just stopped by the gas station and picked up a couple drinks...I didn't bother going home first."

"Oh." _Such a conversationalist_, I chided myself.

"Also, I wasn't sure if you were going to show. I came early and debated whether or not I should just go home."

Edwards admittance surprised me. "Why wouldn't I show? I was the one that asked you here."

He looked down, kicking at the sand. "I mean, maybe it was a joke, or something."

"I wouldn't do that to you," I told him, honestly.

"People do a lot of things that they didn't think they would. Or that other people wouldn't think they would do."

"I suppose," I said, shrugging.

"So, why did you want me here today, then?"

I sighed, deciding not to bring up his calling. I didn't want to embarrass him, in case he thought I didn't know. "I wanted to apologize. Like, really apologize. I'm sorry, Edward. Like really, really sorry. I said something mean and stupid and I should never have disrespected you or your parents like that. But honestly, I've never, ever said anything bad about you before. It was just unfortunate that you had to be right there, the one time I did say something."

"I wish you hadn't said anything at all, Bella. I mean, you've been nice to me. You were nice to my parents and understanding when the whole dinner was a borderline disaster. I thought that we were...friends or something like friends."

"I'm sorry! Rose just, completely caught me off guard and I didn't know what to say. I just, I don't want you mad at me."

"I'm not mad, Bella. Well, that's a lie, I am. But it's hard to explain. I doesn't matter. Nevermind." Edward said, tugging at his hair.

"Hey," I stopped him, putting my hand on his forearm. "Tell me."

"It's just, even in Chicago I didn't really have friends. I've never had like, real, real friends. Or someone to even just listen to me."

I nodded, silently urging him to go on.

"I thought that maybe I'd made a friend, for once in my life."

"Oh," I responded, feeling the guilt creeping in even further. "I am really sorry, Edward."

Edward shook his head, "I'm not even sure why I'm telling you this now."

"I won't tell anyone, Edward. And I promise I won't say anything bad about you or your family. I felt horrible, I feel horrible for what I said."

"Okay. I want to believe you."

We were silent for a couple minutes after that and I noticed the rain started softly drizzling.

"I should get going," Edward said, looking at his watch. "Mom wants me to stop by the Thriftway for groceries."

Edward picked up his can and took mine from me, disposing of them in the recycling bins.

"Thanks, for coming today and everything," I said.

"No problem. Thanks for...being open with me, I guess."

I turned to walk away to my car, the opposite direction Edward was going in.

"Hey, Bella?" Edward called after me.

"Yeah?" I responded, turning.

"I'll see you at lunch tomorrow?" Edwards cheeks were once again a faint pink, but I couldn't tell if it was due to the chilled air or not.

"Yeah, see you at lunch."

I couldn't help the smile that stayed on my face as I walked back to the car.

* * *

Hope you liked it! If you feel inclined, leave a review. Also, I'm considering in participating in the Fandom Gives Back. I would do the first come first serve, where you would buy me and I'd write you (almost) anything you'd like. What I'd like to know is if anyone would actually buy me! So, leave me a review or PM, letting me know if you would. Or you can always tweet me (at)HappyMess


	8. Chapter 8

Once again, I've moved all my links for my stories. They are now at my blogger, the link is on my profile. I've added a new picture today of James' house. Also, TKegl made me an awesome banner for this story, you can view that there.

* * *

I was still experiencing some sort of post-resolution high as I made my way to the diner for dinner. However, I tried my best to keep my face neutral and not show any telltale signs of unusual excitement.

We ate our burgers and fries and talked animatedly about everything that was going on in our lives. Well, Jessica, Rosalie and Lauren talked about what was going on in their lives. I just mentioned the highlights of my trip. Jessica was incredulous that I had spent an _entire day_ at the beach, only to come home with no tan or pictures of hot surfers.

After dinner, we loitered out in the parking lot for a while, still chatting, until Lauren glanced at the display on her phone and sighed.

"Alright, I gotta go home. My mom will have my ass if I don't finish all my homework tonight." She was probably right. Lauren had an older brother who was going to Stanford on a full scholarship. The

Mallory's took their education very serious. All except Lauren.

"Hey, IM tonight?" Rosalie called over to me, as I was getting in my truck.

"Um, yeah. Okay." Rosalie never asked me to chat online with her, unless it was something important. Usually, we just chatted if we saw each other online.

O-O

When I got home that night, Charlie was parked in front of the television, watching something on PBS. A half eaten TV dinner sat cold on the coffee table, alongside a beer.

"Hey, Bells. Come in here a sec," Charlie said, as I tried to make my way quietly to my bedroom.

"Sure, dad. What's up?" I asked, taking a seat across from him on the couch.

"I was just wondering if you would make enough dinner for four tomorrow night," Charlie said, looking somewhat sheepish.

"No problem, who's coming over?" I asked, although I was pretty sure I knew. We didn't exactly have a lot of visitors.

"Oh, just Billy and Jacob. Sarah has her quilting circle to go to, so they're coming over here for the game."

The Blacks were longtime friends of Charlie's and when my parents were still married, of Renee's. They had three kids. Rachel and Rebecca were the oldest, twin girls, who lived in Portland, working and taking classes at the community college there. Jacob was a pretty cool kid. He was always up for anything and we ended up talking about the weirdest shit together.

"Okay, sounds good. I'm going to head upstairs now. I have some reading for English to do and then I'm going to go to bed."

"Alright, night Bells." Charlie called after me, turning his attention back to the television.

"Goodnight, dad."

After getting ready for bed, I laid on my stomach, on my bed and turned on my laptop. As soon as I signed on to IM, Rose's screen name popped up.

**CherryBomb89:** Geez Bella, take your time!

**PhnxGrl00:** Geez Rose, I didn't know I was being timed!

**CherryBomb89:** Sorry. PMSing. Are you?

**PhnxGrl00:** Am I PMSing? No...

**CherryBomb89:** Then WTF is going on, Swan. And don't say nothing because I don't buy that shit.

I bit my lip. Damn. I guess it was time to come clean. I mean, I did say I wanted to tell her.

**PhnxGrl00:** My mom is pregnant.

Like ripping off a band-aid. Nice and quick. It was several seconds before Rose responded.

**CherryBomb89:** HOLY SHIT. No way. Seriously?

**PhnxGrl00:** Yeah, seriously.

**CherryBomb89:** Shit. You're going to have a sibling.

**PhnxGrl00:** Yeah, that's what happens when your mom is pregnant.

**CherryBomb89:** Bitch.

**CherryBomb89:** Are you alright? I mean, how are you?

**PhnxGrl00:** I don't even know. I have no idea. I mean, its good, I guess. For her.

**CherryBomb89:** Okay, we def need to talk in person about this. Can u get your ass up early enough for a Mocha Motion run?

**PhnxGrl00:** Sure. I gotta go. Lot's of homework tonight. I'll be at MM at 7!

I shut the laptop closed before Rose had a chance to respond.

It felt good to tell Rose about my mom. I worried briefly that I hadn't told her not to tell anyone else, but I knew Rosalie wouldn't. She was cool like that.

Tomorrow was going to be a good day. I think.

Which brought me to something else. Edward. I hadn't really been able to think about my afternoon in the park with him. Then I started to worry.

I mean, I didn't want to over analyze our exchange as we parted ways. But he basically asked me if I would be in the library at lunch. And I said I would be.

Any thoughts of Edward Cullen had began to cause my body to react in strange ways. This could not be good. Maybe it was just nerves about sneaking around my friends back. Sure there had been guys I had thought were cute in the past, both in Phoenix and in Forks, but none of them had caused my heart to speed up or my mind to become flustered.

Despite how anxious I felt at tomorrow, I went to bed early anyways. I laid in bed for nearly an hour, until the familiar sound of rain tapping against my window pane lulled me into a dreamless sleep.

O-O

Rose was already at Mocha Motion when I go there the next morning. I parked my truck next to her car and hopped up on the bed of the truck, taking the hot chocolate she had already gotten from me.

"Yeah, soo..." I began.

"Your mom is pregnant. With a baby. From what I've heard about your mom, I can understand why you may have reservations about that."

I shook my head. "I want to be happy for her. I mean, I am happy for her. It's just like...she meets this guy that's realistically way too young for her. She gets married, wants to uproot us from the only stable living situation we've ever had. I mean its..."

"Selfish?" Rose finished for me.

"Yeah, selfish, I guess. I don't know if she's making these decisions with anyone else in mind, or if she's just going with the flow. Which is typical Renee style."

"Your mom had you like...really young. Like basically when she was your age. It makes sense that she's caught up in some guy like that," Rose tried to reason.

"But a baby? I'm almost eighteen! I feel like I don't have a place in her life. She has a new husband and she's going to have his kid. I feel like I'm going to become another Charlie in her life. Left behind."

"Bella-"

I cut her off. "No. She's trying to convince me to move to Jacksonville in time for the baby. I don't want to. Forks may not be the most exciting place to live, but I have stability and predictability."

"Yes, but-"

"I know that's not what most teenagers want, but with Renee, there was no guarantee that I would be living in the same town by the time summer vacation was over. I never had real friends because of that."

I huffed, feeling silly at being so overly emotional. Maybe I was just tired. Or PMSing.

"Can I speak now?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Well, I think that your mom will always be your mom, regardless if she has a new husband or kid. If you're happy in Forks, then stay here."

"Okay, when you put it that way its so simple."

"Well, its not," Rose countered. "But, it's too fucking early in the morning for this. And if you did decide you wanted to move to Jacksonville, I'd have to hunt you down and drag you back. You're the only fucking sane person I know here. Although, I'm beginning to question that."

O-O

I stopped by the Thriftway on the way home from school. We had plenty of food at the house, but, despite Jacob being able to eat all of us under the table, he is an incredibly picky eater.

I figured I would make something simple, baked macaroni and cheese with baked chicken and broccoli. But I'd make the real stuff, with real cheese and all that, to make it at least look like an effort.

Charlie had called me a little while after I got home, letting me know that he was already in La Push to pick up Jacob and Billy, Sarah had already left earlier. Billy couldn't drive, he had been in a car accident shortly after Jacob had been born, causing him to lose the use of his legs.

I heard the cruiser pulling up in the drive and went to open the front door, Charlie had put out the ramp before he left, making it easier for Billy to wheel up the steps to our house.

"Bella!" Jacob yelled, running to me.

"Hey, buddy!" I greeted him, enthusiastically. Jacobs charm and enthusiasm for life was infectious and he definitely brought life to the Black family. Jacob was the son that Sarah and Billy always wanted. I mean, I know they loved the girls, but Billy always wanted someone to carry on the Black name. Needless to say, when Sarah got pregnant twelve years after she had Rachel and Rebecca, it was a huge, welcome surprise.

"Geez, you're getting tall!" I said, ruffling his hair.

"I know!" Jacob beamed. "I'm the tallest kid in the third grade!"

"Awesome. Are you hungry?"

Jacob nodded. "Good. Dinners just about ready and I'm gonna make chocolate chip cookies for dessert."

Jacobs grin widened and he rushed towards the living room.

"Hey Billy," I said, leaning down to give him a hug.

"Bella, good to see you. Sarah says hi."

One of the things I had come to learn upon moving here, was that after my mom and I left Forks, the Blacks immediately adopted Charlie and took him in as one of their own. Every major holiday since I have lived here was spent together, be it Christmas or Fourth of July.

Hours later and the Mariners game was over and Jacob was struggling to stay awake after he came down from his sugar high. Billy was able to wake him up enough for Jake to give me a half-hearted wave and walk out to the cruiser for the drive back to the reservation.

O-O

The next day at school, I decided to skip Spanish class and head to the library early, effectively avoiding Jessica.

I sat at the large, round table in the back where Edward and the rest usually sat. I felt kind of awkward, just sitting there. What if Edward wasn't the first to get there?

I didn't have too much time to worry about that though, because Victoria and James came walking up, hand in hand. Victoria sat down in the chair next to me, shrugging her canvas tote onto the ground, causing the scent of weed to waft my way.

"Hey, Bella. What's up?"

"Oh, not much. Just hanging out," I shrugged, lamely.

James greeted me with a "what's up" before going to Victoria's bag and pulling out a brown paper bag, dumping the contents out onto the table.

Fruit Roll-Ups, Cheetos and Capri Sun.

James caught me eying the stash and gestured to the food. "Want some?"

"Um...no thanks. I'll pass."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself. More for me!"

The bell rang then and I found myself glancing towards the door every so often. Angela and Ben came in next and by ten minutes into lunch, Edward still was nowhere to be found.

He had said tomorrow...right? Did he chicken out? Decide he didn't want to be friends?

I tried to entertain the conversation going on around me, but just couldn't get into it.

"Is Edward here today?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

Victoria giggled before answering. "Yes he is. At least, he was in Calculus class third period. He's probably just...taking care of business."

I frowned, confused by her answer, but didn't ask her to elaborate.

Fifteen minutes into lunch though, Edward finally came walking in, sitting down in the seat next to me.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." He murmured, giving me a shy smile.

"It's totally cool. Really."

"Oh! Now that everyone's here, I want to invite you over to James' house tomorrow night. The weathers actually supposed to be pretty good. Some freak heat wave, they said on the news. I thought we'd barbecue? You guys in?" Victoria asked.

Everyone nodded their head, saying they'd be there, even Edward. James turned to me. "Bella? You coming? It's okay if you have more exciting plans."

I felt a twinge of guilt. Is that really how they thought of me? I guess I didn't deserve better, especially if Edward had said anything about what happened between us.

"No, I'll be there. Sounds great."

O-O

The next morning before school, I was sitting at the dining room table with Charlie, eating toast, while he drank his coffee and read the paper.

"Hey, Dad?" I said, disrupting the silence. "I'm going out right after school today, is that cool?"

Charlie looked over his paper at me. "Yeah, sure Bells. But its a school night, so just make sure you're home by ten. You're hanging out with Rosalie, Jessica and Lauren?"

I stalled, wondering if I should lie, then mentally scolded myself. I told myself I wasn't going to lie like that anymore.

"No. Actually, uh...I'm going to hang out with some new people," I admitted.

"Oh?" Charlie asked, arching an eyebrow. "You haven't mentioned any new friends. Who are they? Do I need to call parents first?"

I wanted to roll my eyes at him. Never once when I lived with my mom did she inquire about any friends I had. Let alone request to call their parents after I entered middle school.

"No, dad. No parent calling. I'm seventeen. It's going to be Angela, Ben, Victoria and Edward. We're all going to James' house," I explained, hoping he would leave it be.

"Edward? The Cullen boy?"

This time I did roll my eyes. "Yeah, dad. Edward Cullen. It's no big deal. Seriously."

Charlie put down the paper on the table. "Three boys and three girls? This isn't one of those...make-out parties, is it? I know you're almost eighteen, but I don't think that-"

"DAD!" I yelled, feeling my cheeks heat up. "No. Not a make-out party. Geez. We're just hanging out and they're going to make burgers or something."

Charlie held up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay. Just wanting to make sure. I trust you."

I nodded my head. "Good. Well, I gotta go to school. Don't forget your lunch. I made a sandwich for you out of last nights leftover chicken."

"Thanks, Bells!" He called after me as I went to the front door, picking up my backpack along the way.

O-O

True to what Victoria said, when I woke up Wednesday morning, the sun was shining brightly through my curtains and when I went outside to my truck, there wasn't the characteristic chill I was used to.

I decided to spend lunch in the cafeteria and hopefully talk to Edward to find out the details of the barbecue after school. Jessica smiled brightly at me when I said I would be eating with them and again I felt bad for ignoring her. After all, Jessica had been my first friend here. So, I didn't say anything or shrug her off when she linked arms with mine and began talking excitedly about Mike.

"Can you believe it, Bella? Mike! Mike Newton! I mean, we've been like...hooking up or whatever. But he likes me! Like actually likes me!" Jessica squealed.

Apparently, yesterday after school Jessica and Mike were hanging out at her house and Mike asked her to be his girlfriend. We'll see how long that lasts.

"It was sooo sweet! He was acting all nervous. He also mentioned prom. Prom! It's only a month away. I need to go dress shopping. Will you come with?"

I nodded, somewhat dazed from all of Jessica's ramblings.

The one thing I didn't realize though, was that with Jess and Mike solidifying their relationship, it meant that Mike and by association, Tyler, would sit at our lunch table, making things a bit awkward.

Instead of there being just awkward conversation, I was completely ignored. Lauren, Jess, Tyler and Mike were lost in their own little bubble, while Rosalie chatted on the phone with Emmett. I sat there, wishing I had gone to hang out at the library. Even though their group consisted of two couples, they always made an effort to talk to everyone, not just their partner.

I was all too grateful when the bell rang.

O-O

Edward was quiet during biology, but gave me a smile when I walked into the classroom, so I knew he couldn't be all that mad.

"Umm...hey." He whispered over to me when Mr. Banner had his back turned, writing on the white board. "Are you still on for today?"

"Yeah, of course." I said, turning to him.

"Good." He was silent for a few moments. "I mean, Victoria will be happy you're coming. Angela too. They missed you at lunch."

"Well...I wouldn't want to disappoint Victoria. Or Angela. To be honest, I missed them too. Lunch sucked. I think Mike and Tyler will be sitting at our table now." I cringed, thinking about their gross displays of public affection with Jess and Lauren.

"Do you need a ride? I drove Angela and Ben to school today and James and Victoria don't drive," Edward offered.

"No. I have my truck with me. Just let me know the address or something and I'll meet you guys there."

Edward tore the corner off a piece of paper in his notebook and scribbled on it, before handing it to me.

"That's their address. The house is kinda set back a ways from the street, so you may miss it."

"Thanks," I smiled and whispered back.

"Ms. Swan? Mr Cullen? Attention up here, please." Several students turned around in their seats to look back at us, causing me to sink down in my seat, stuffing the scrap of paper in my bag.

Yes, I couldn't wait until school was over for the day.

O-O

After school I stopped by house to drop off my backpack and freshen up a bit since the my house was on the way to James'.

I found out that Edward really wasn't lying when he told me James house was hard to find. He lived practically out of the town, in a very rural area where most driveways and streets off the main road were dirt or gravel.

After driving back and forth a couple times, trying to figure out which driveway I should go down, I noticed a crudely painted sign with the address on it that Edward had given me.

The driveway was long and my old truck felt every single one of the bumps in the dirt road.

It was kind of creepy, actually, in a lame horror movie way. The driveway was really long and all around me was tall grass and overgrown weeds. Any second I expected Jason or Freddie to jump out in front of me.

Finally, there was a clearing of half-mowed grass, revealing a house.

I couldn't help but gasp at the sight of it. It was very old, very run down, in desperate need of a fresh coat of pain and a new roof. Complete with a bathtub in the front yard and a half collapsed car port on the side of the house. Edwards Volvo, which was parked in the front of the house looked terribly out of place.

Hopping out of the truck, I waved my hand in front of my face, wafting at the dirt that had been stirred up from my truck. I was unsure if I should knock on the door, but then I heard voices and laughter coming from around the back, so I decided to follow it.

At the back of the house there was a deck, which I wasn't so sure was very sturdy, but everyone was on it, sitting in plastic chairs, in a circle.

Everyone greeted me warmly and Angela pulled up a chair next to hers, so I was sitting between her and Edward.

"Do you want a drink, Bella? There's coke and fruit punch," Angela said, reach back to the icebox behind her.

"Um, coke is fine. Thanks," I said, taking the soda from her.

"This is great," Victoria gushed. "Now that the weathers getting warmer, we can do this more often. Oh! And its great here on Fourth of July, there is an awesome view of the fireworks at Tilicum park."

It was nice, how easily I seemed to get along with everyone and how nice they were. About an hour after I got there, a tall, burly looking man with dirty blond hair came through the back door.

"Hey, kids." He greeted us. "James, I'm back with the food. Why don't you come in and help me out?"

We all said 'hi' back and James got up, following after the man.

"Let me go see if they need help. They're hopeless in the kitchen!" Victoria said, before heading inside.

Angela leaned over to me after they left.

"That's James' dad, Aaron. He's really nice, works as a mechanic," she informed me.

"Oh, what about his mom?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Don't mention her. It's kind of a...tough subject for him. James' mom was an alcoholic and left them when James was three. Never heard from her since."

"Wow, that is tough. Poor James. Thanks for the heads up."

Angela smiled and leaned back in her chair, then turned her attention over to Ben.

"Are you having fun?" I asked, looking over at Edward. Since I had gotten to James', we hadn't really spoken one on one.

"Yeah, it's nice here. Quiet. I mean, I know we live in a small, woodsy town, but its nice to come here and just...relax," he said, emphasizing what he had just said by stretching out in his chair, hands above his head and legs straightened at the knee.

The action caused his shirt to ride up, revealing the elastic band of his Hanes boxers and the light dusting of hair on his lower abdomen.

I basically gawked at the small expanse of exposed skin before snapping myself out it, looking away quickly.

"Yeah, its nice to be closer to nature," I responded, mentally slapping myself for my stupid response.

A couple minutes later, James returned with a bag of charcoal.

"Vickie's getting the meat ready, so I'm going to start the coals," James informed us.

Twenty minutes later, we were all seated around a plastic table. James had cooked hot dogs and burgers and along with that Victoria had made macaroni salad and potato salad.

I found myself paying close attention to what Edward was doing the entire time. I found out that instead of putting ketchup on his burger, he preferred to dip his burger in the ketchup. After some coaxing, he decided to eat a hot dog with mustard.

Apparently, one of the things he missed most about Chicago was the Chicago dog.

"I mean, it's just so much better. There's relish, mustard, onion, pickle, peppers, tomato. It's so good."

I suppressed giggles. One of the only time's I'd ever heard Edward so animated, so talkative and he was talking about hot dogs.

"Someone sure is passionate about their wiener!" Ben commented, earning a slap in the chest from Angela.

Ben's comment of course took my mind back to earlier, when Edward had stretched and boxers. And the hair. And where the hair was leading to and what was underneath his boxers.

My face heated up and I felt really flustered. I never thought about guys like that. Ever. I mean, sure I found guys attractive but I never thought about any below the belt anatomy. And yes, I have had...urges and have taken care of those urges, never really thought about...that.

Or when I have, I've never thought about it with as much detail as I currently was. Or about a person I actually knew. In all likelihood, I was never going to meet those nameless men I saw on billboards in Phoenix.

After we ate and cleaned up, the air started to cool. We dragged our chairs out onto the grass, where there was a fire pit dug out of the dirt. Once the fire was lit, James' dad, or Aro, as he instructed me to call him, came out with skewers and a bag of marshmallows.

Around nine and two bags of marshmallows later, most of which ended up a sticky, blackened mass, I stood up, yawning.

"I think I should get going. I still have some Spanish homework to do," I said.

Angela pulled out her phone, checking the time. "Oh, me too. Thanks for having us, James. It was really fun."

I turned to James and Victoria.

"Yeah, I had an awesome time. We should do it again soon," I surprised myself by saying.

Victoria smiled widely. "Yes! I'll see you guys at school tomorrow. I'm going to stay here a little while longer, then Aro can drive me home."

We all said our goodbyes to Victoria and James, then went around the house to where we were parked.

Ben and Angela got in the car as soon the lights flashed, indicating it had been unlocked, leaving Edward and I standing awkwardly by the end of our cars.

It was dark out and the light coming from the front porch barely illuminated everything in the night.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow, then?" It came out more as a question. Of course he was going to see me tomorrow. We had school tomorrow and he sat next to me in biology!

"Yeah, I'll be at school," Edward confirmed.

"Okay, awesome," I rocked back on my heels. "I'll be in the library at lunch."

Edwards face brightened slightly, before returning to his normal, calm demeanor. "That's cool. So I'll see you."

Then, he surprised me by taking a step forward. I thought he was going to hug me, but then he froze and reached out, patting me awkwardly on the shoulder before turning and getting in his car.

I stood there, watching as he backed out and waved back when Angela rolled down the window to yell out to me, "Bye Bella! See you tomorrow!"

I mindlessly got in my truck and started up the engine, letting it warm up a big before driving home. Charlie was fast asleep on the couch, snoring, with the television still on. I grabbed the throw from over the back of the couch, covered him, kissed his cheek lightly, turned off the television and went upstairs.

I suddenly felt exhausted and went to the bathroom, going through my nightly routine and changing into well worn flannel pajamas.

Only then did I allow myself to think about the events of the last few hours, down to Edward and my awkward goodbye.

What the hell was that about?

* * *

Hey! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought! **Review get teasers.** Also, I'm considering having someone pre-read before I post. If you're interested, let me know. Follow me on twitter (happymess89) I post teasers there too.


	9. Chapter 9

Twilight isn't mine.

Sorry for such a long wait. I work and go to school full time, so real life gets hectic.

Big thanks to venemousgal for her help with this chapter and the twitter girls.

* * *

Over the course of the next two weeks, I spent a few days a week after school hanging out with Angela and Victoria. Usually, we went to Angela's house to do homework, which was totally fine with me. Her mother always had snacks ready for us when we got there. Besides, Victoria never wanted to go to her house and I didn't want to deal with Charlie's eavesdropping.

Angela's dad was a pastor and she had two, young, twin brothers that were around Jacobs age.

I still made it a point to eat lunch in the cafeteria a couple times a week, although Jessica and Lauren were so caught up in the guys that I wasn't entirely sure they noticed me there.

Rosalie spent most of lunch either texting Emmett or talking on the phone with him. Sometimes, I would catch her eying me suspiciously and she would look like she was going to say something, but would quickly focus her attention back to her phone. Hopefully if she thought my behavior was strange, she would attribute it to what was going on with Renee.

Edward had also been acting strange lately. Well, stranger than before. Ever since the awkward good-bye at James' house, he was seemingly keeping his distance from me. Like in biology, I could have sworn that each day he was increasing the distance between our two chairs, since he was now practically huddled against the edge of the table. Or maybe I was just imagining things.

We had only hung out together after school since the barbecue and that was at an impromptu movie night at Angela's, where the six of us had stayed late, eating pizza and watching crappy movies.

For a pastor, Angela's dad was pretty cool. He had picked up the pizza for us on the way home from dropping off the twins at a friends house for a sleepover. Then, he retreated upstairs with his wife for the rest of the night, leaving us to do whatever.

So Angela and Ben were laying with their heads on opposite ends of the couch, their legs entwined, with a blanket covering them. James was sitting in an arm chair with Victoria laying across his lap and his arms wrapped around her.

Then there was Edward and me. The La-Z-Boy was the only seat left in front of the television and Edward and I went back and forth over who should sit there. Finally, I relented and with a dramatic sigh, sat down, tucking my legs under me and pulling the throw that was over the back of the chair over me. Edward

When Wednesday rolled around, I was surprised to find Rosalie waiting for me by my locker at the beginning of brunch.

"Hey, Rose. Whats up?" I asked, switching out textbooks in my locker.

"Long weekend this weekend, Swan. Five days. We're going to Seattle with mommy and daddy." She informed me

"Um..we are? Since when?" I paused, "and why?"

"Since my dad called your dad this morning to clear it with him. Parents want to go on some romantic, weekend getaway or some shit and we're going to visit Emmett."

"I think I'll pass, Rose. I don't want to intrude on yours and Emmetts couple time," I replied, making air quotes.

"Shut up. Besides, Jane is going to meet us there."

Jane was Rosalie's cousin, she was a year younger than us, but in the same grade. She was really smart and skipped kindergarten, or something. She was also pretty cool.

"I guess I can go. As long as Charlie Ok'd it."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Well, don't sound too enthusiastic about it, bitch."

"Okay, okay. It'll be nice to go to Seattle."

Of course, when I got home Charlie was all for me going to Seattle for the weekend, which made me a little suspicious, but he reminded me to pack the pepper spray in my suitcase and then lugged it downstairs next to the door, so I could put it in Rose's car when we she came to pick me up from school, so we could leave right after.

0-0

God love the Hales. We left straight from school and all drove up together in her parents Yukon Denali. Her Dad was driving, talking away on his bluetooth, her mom emailing from her Blackberry. Before we left, she had popped a movie in the back seat DVD player for us to watch.

Hours later, we pulled up to the Seattle Hyatt. Her parents checked us in, handed us our room keys and informed us that their suite was three floors above ours and that they were going to dinner and would be taking a cab the entire trip, so the car was ours.

I wondered what Rose's dad could have possibly said that would let my father, chief of police, allow me to come here for five days.

"So," Rose began, rummaging through her suitcase. "I texted Em and Jane, they're going to meet us at the restaurant and then we'll see what happens from there."

"Sounds good. I'm just going to take a quick shower," I responded, getting my toiletries bag out of my luggage.

As the water heated, I checked my phone, finding a text from Victoria

**Hey, we're all meeting at Edwards house tonight. Wanna come? -V**

I bit my lip. I hadn't told her about the Seattle trip, for whatever reason. I was suddenly wishing I was back in Forks.

**Sorry, can't. I'm in Seattle with Rose the whole weekend. When I get back, k?**

**Have fun! I'm sure Edward will be disappointed you aren't here. -V**

I felt my face heat up. Rather than responding to her text, I shut my phone and set it on the counter.

0-0

The restaurant was pretty packed, especially since it was a Friday night. Rosalie had made reservations though and when we got to the hostess, she informed us that three members of our party were already there.

"Three? I thought it was just Jane and Emmett?" I asked, following as the hostess weaved through all the tables.

Rose shrugged. "Maybe Emmett's roommate tagged along."

It turned out that Rose was right. Jasper did tag along. So did Alice.

When Rose and I came into view, the three of them stood up. Emmett bounded over to Rosalie, enveloping her in a bear hug and spinning her around, kissing her noisily.

"You big jerk!" Rose scolded, once he let her down. Behind her grim expression, she was fighting a smile.

"I missed you, Rosie," Emmett shrugged, then turned to me. "Hey, Bells. I hope you don't mind the roomie and lil' sis coming along."

"Of course not! Bella, Rosalie and I are going to bond. Right, girls?" Alice spoke up.

"Right," I responded, along with Rose's nod of her head.

"Oh, how rude of me. I should introduce Jasper," Alice slapped her forehead and then looked behind her, dragging the guy behind her by the sleeve of his jacket until he was standing in front of us.

"Hi, my name is Jasper. It's a pleasure to meet you two," he greeted us, smiling slightly. His voice held a slight southern accent.

Jasper was tall and good looking, but not the type of guy I would go for. He had blond hair that was sort of wavy and fell into his bright blue eyes. He was tall and skinny, wearing tight jeans and converse.

I noticed that Alice still had a death grip on the sleeve of Jaspers jacket, when he tugged his arm from her grasp to shake our hands.

The table was set so there were three people seated on either side. Emmett pulled out the chair for Rosalie and then sat down himself, scooting his chair as close to hers as he could get, draping his arm around the back.

"Bella, sit on our side!" Alice said, her smile wide. "I want to get to know you better."

"Yeah, Bella. Sit between us, so we can both get to know you," added Jasper.

At his suggestion, Alice's head whipped towards him, looking heartbroken before composing herself and turning to me, smile back in place. "Yeah, Bella. You can sit between us."

Judging by Alice's devastated look, sitting between the two was the last thing she wanted.

"I'll just sit on the end," I shrugged. "That way I can talk to Jane, too."

Once we were all situated in our chairs, the hostess made her way back to us, Jane in tow.

"Hey guys!" Jane greeted, "Am I late?"

Jane walked around the table, hugging and kissing everyone like we were all old friends.

Sitting down next to Rose, it was easy to see the family resemblance, even though they were still greatly different in looks and personality. Their hair was both naturally blonde, although Rose's was more platinum and Jane's light. Jane was also shorter, around my height with big, blue eyes and a lightly freckled face. Where Rose tends to be blunt and make no apologies for her behavior, Jane is just pure and nice. Well, as pure and nice as the girl who got me drunk, kissed me and then went skinny dipping in the lake last summer could be.

After dinner and on Emmetts request, a huge dessert, we divvied up the tab and went to loiter around outside.

"You're all coming back to the hotel, right? We were hoping to pick up some alcohol and hang out. You guys can all crash there, too," Rose said.

Everyone agreed and Jasper made a quick phone call to a friend that lived nearby, who happened to be twenty-one.

Cai was making a run to the liquor store anyways and would pick us something up.

Thirty minutes later and fifty dollars lighter, we headed back to the hotel with a handle of vodka, a bottle of cranberry juice and a few packs of hard lemonade. Just because Alice insisted she couldn't handle vodka, to which

Jasper scoffed, saying she couldn't handle bitch drinks, either. To which Alice, very maturely, stuck her tongue out at him.

We were all sitting on the two double beds in mine and Rose's room, talking and passing around the handle, followed by the bottle of cranberry juice.

After a few turns with the bottle, I had a good buzz going, along with everyone else.

"Let's gossip!" Alice exclaimed, struggling with the bottle opener as she tried to pry open the top off of a bottle of hard lemonade.

The guys groaned, but Jane nodded feverishly and Rose grinned.

"I'll start!" Rose exclaimed, throwing her arm over my shoulder. "Bella, Bella, Bella. You've been disappearing at lunch and after school and I don't buy your lame excuses."

"I told you, Rose. I've been working on homework and doing stuff around the house. Plus, you know what it's like at the table now, what with Mike and Tyler being there."

I was terrible at lying and knew she could see straight through me.

"Oh, this has got to be good, if you won't even tell me," Rose smiled.

"Bella, come on! Now i'm curious. Do you have a secret boyfriend? A secret looover?" Alice sang.

I buried my face in my hands in mortification. We were seriously doing this? Here, now?

Rose's eyes lit up. "Oh my God. You do!"

"Who's the lucky guy, Bella? Tell us! Is he hot? Are you fucking him? Does he have a big peen?" Jane chimed in.

"Bella looks like a tomato," Jasper commented, causing Emmett to snort.

"God, Jane. Bella's a virgin. It's only a recent thing, so I'd say the most she's doing is hand jobs or blowing him."

"SHUT UP!" I screeched, unable to take the conversation any longer. "If you guys just shut up, I'll tell you. Geez."

Everyone quieted down and Alice made a gesture like she was zipping her lips.

"So, there's this guy..." I began.

"I knew it!" Jane jumped in.

I glared at her and continued. "There's this guy, Edward. He's new at school. Well sorta new. I mean, he's been here since winter break. But anyways, he's my lab partner in biology."

I threw Rose a glance and she nodded for me to continue, looking intrigued.

"Well, Rose already knows all this stuff, but anyways. He missed a lot of school and the teacher had me go over my notes and help him catch up with everything. His mom invited me over for dinner, it was nice. Then, I said something bitchy about him to Rose, unluckily for me, he heard. I apologized. I started hanging out with him and his friends in the library at lunch and after school."

"I knew there was something going on with you two!" Rose exclaimed, looking smug with herself.

"Rose, we're friends. That's all. I mean, he's really nice and not bad to look at, but we're friends. I'm pretty sure he's not fully over the parking lot incident."

"Whatever, Bella. I can't believe you've been hanging out with them all this time. What are his friends names, even?"

I sighed. "There's James and Victoria, they're a couple. Then there's Ben and Angela. They're seniors."

"Oh, whatever. I've never really paid much attention to them." Rose shrugged, "I mean, I guess Cullen is pretty cute, if you're into the whole nerdy glasses, tall and scrawny look."

"Rosie!" Emmett whined, pouting.

"Shut it. You know I love my big, strong man," Rose cooed, running her hand through Emmett's hair.

"Well, I think it's romantic. It's like...forbidden love," Alice added, looking dreamily at Jasper, who focused his attention intensely on the bottle opener he was holding.

The bottle began being passed around again and Jane piped up about some book she read about forbidden love between a vampire and a human or something equally ridiculous.

The conversation about Edward was officially over and around three am, we all passed out.

I was the first one to wake up in the morning to a comical sight. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper were all sharing one of the double beds, Emmett spooning Rose and Jasper facing away from them, laying just enough on the bed so he wouldn't fall off.

In my bed, Alice and Jane were in a similar position, with Jane's body nearly perpendicular across the bed, her feet somehow under my legs.

Everyone was grouchy and hungover when they woke up and we decided to forgo breakfast, with Emmett, Alice and Jasper going back to their apartment to get ready for our day out. Jane had packed some spare clothes and toiletries in her huge bag so she stayed behind with us.

The weekend was overall pretty fun and exactly what I needed to get my mind off of everything that had happened recently in my life.

Emmett had pulled me aside Saturday morning before he left, telling me that while he and Jasper did 'man things' for me to make sure Rose bought a nice dress for their date later that evening. Apparently, he had booked some dinner cruise that Rose had mentioned wanting to go on.

After Rose and Emmett went out on their date, Jasper and Alice came over, wanting to give them privacy at the apartment and the four of us ended up ordering room service and movies.

Rose came back the next morning alone, looking happier than I had seen her in a long time. I didn't ask what produced such a smile on her face and thankfully she didn't offer any information.

The rest of the weekend passed too quickly, filled with dining out, shopping and some cheesy tourist stuff. Apparently, Alice loved taking pictures.

She also loved shopping, so when Rose mentioned that prom was coming up in a couple months, Alice insisted we go search for the perfect prom dress; for Rose and for me.

However, Rose wasn't really interested in going and neither was I. Why would I go to prom without a date?

Rose's parents called each day, the entire conversation lasting under five minutes, just to make sure we hadn't destroyed the hotel room or gone on some sort of weekend bender.

I had also taken the time to call Charlie, which was another very short conversation, but that was to be expected with us.

Tuesday morning, Rose and I were all packed up. We had stayed up late with the rest of the group, but they had all gone home the night before, since we were having breakfast with Rose's parents after we checked out.

The look of relief on Charlie's face when I got home safe and in one piece Tuesday afternoon led me to believe he had missed me more than he let on.

0-0

School on Wednesday dragged by painfully slow and just when I wanted to say 'fuck it' and cut the rest of the day, lunch arrived. Although I had spent the past five days with Rose, it had been a while since I had spent any time with Lauren and Jessica, so I waited for Jess to finish packing up her Spanish binder and walked to the cafeteria with her.

The table was oddly silent, Mike and Tyler had detention for disrupting their math class, or something.

The tray in front of me held nothing remotely appetizing to eat. A dry looking turkey sandwich, a pudding cup and a carton of apple juice. It was oddly reminiscent of any meal I had ever eaten in a hospital.

I was mulling over this thought and the fact that I had been in a hospital enough times to warrant such a comparison, when Rosalie broke the silence.

"So, guys, did you know Bella has been hanging out with Cullen and his friends for the past few weeks?"

Jessica choked on the water she was drinking and Lauren immediately stopped picking at her nails.

"What?" Jessica asked, once she regained composure.

I sat there, horrified and betrayed. I had told Rosalie that in confidence. Sure, we had a pretty good buzz going at the time and we were with a bunch of other people, but Rosalie was nothing if not fiercely loyal. I couldn't understand this.

Like a deer in the headlights, I was stuck in my chair, waiting for their reactions.

"You're fucking shitting me, right?" Lauren asked, looking back and forth between Rose and me.

"I shit you not. They hang out like, all the time. Right, Bella?" Rose turned to me, her face unreadable.

"I don't buy it," Lauren said.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I don't care if you buy it or not. It's true."

Jessica and Lauren turned to look at me, waiting for a response.

"You, you're a _bitch_." I seethed at Rose. "It's no ones business who I hang out with. They're my friends."  
Jessica snorted. "Friends, Bella? Seriously? They're a bunch of losers. Just look at them!"

"It doesn't matter. It's not like Bella is going to hang out with them anymore. Right? I mean, you had your fun, did your charitable deed for the year. Too bad you can't put it on a college app." Lauren said, shrugging.

"Anyways, prom is in a couple weeks. I need a dress."

Shaking myself out of my stupor, I quickly packed up all my stuff and slung my backpack over my shoulder.

"Bella!" Rose called after me as I exited the cafeteria. "Bella, wait!"

The clicking of the heels on the tiled flours of the hallway increased in speed as she got nearer to me, causing me to quicken my pace as well.

Eventually though, Rose caught up, grabbing me tightly by my bicep. She dragged me to the nearest room.

"What's your deal?" Rose asked, closing the door and standing in front of it, preventing me from leaving.

I crossed my arms defensively. "What's my deal? Seriously Rose, you aren't stupid. Who are you to tell Lauren and Jessica about my business? It's none of their business. And it's none of the schools business either, which,

I'm sure by the end of the week, everyone will know."

"It's for your own good. What does it matter if everyone knows? So what? It's just high school, Bella."

I scoffed. "It may be 'just high school' to you and you may be over it and not care about what other people think, but I do. I care what others think. Okay?"

Rose opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. "And anyways, did you ever think what it would be like for Edward and his friends?"

"Okay, Bella. I'm sorry."

"I appreciate your apology, Rose, but they're just words."

I looked at Rose's face. She did look apologetic, but I was just so mad.

Rose stepped to the side, allowing me to exit the classroom.'

0-0

Gossip spreads like wildfire at Forks High.

In Phoenix, there were over 400 kids in my grade and if you broke up before school, everyone would know by lunchtime. At Forks, there's only 350 kids in the entire school.

As I walked to Biology, I could feel eyes on me. Hear whispers as I walked past.

Edward acted as if nothing was different. Maybe he didn't know yet.

When I got out of the locker room after school, Jessica and Lauren were waiting for me.

"Hey..guys."

"Listen, cancel whatever your plans are. You're hanging out with us." Jessica informed me.

I didn't like the sound of this.

"We're going to meet at Mocha Motion, okay?"

As if I had any say in the situation.

When I got to Mocha Motion, Lauren and Jessica hadn't arrived yet. I went inside, ordering a latte before securing a corner with an armchair and a couch with plush, over-sized cushions, separated by a coffee table.

Jessica and Lauren showed up shortly after, waving at me from the door as they got in line.

I waited, feeling anxious until they sat down on the couch together.

"Obviously, I didn't want to create a scene in the cafeteria at lunch today. That's totally not my style," Jessica began and I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"Of course," I nodded.

"We feel like...you've strayed recently. We all do things that we regret, I mean, we're human, right?"

Jessica looked over at Lauren, who began to speak. "And we can totally understand, Forks is a fucking boring as hell town. We all like to mix things up sometimes. But Edward and his group of freaks? Really?"

"Hey, Edward is really nice. Sure, he's different and quiet, but that doesn't mean he and his friends should be treated as untouchables," I hissed.

"Oh my God. You have got to be kidding me. This is worse than I thought. You have a thing for Cullen!" Jessica exclaimed.

My face heated up. "That's ridiculous, Jessica. He's a friend. Just because I'm friends with a guy does not mean that I like him. I'm not like you or Lauren. I don't feel the need to hang all over any guy that talks to me."

"Whatever, Bella. There's two options for you. It looks bad for us to have you in our group if you're going off with Cullen and them. I welcomed you your first day here at Forks High. We are your friends. Lauren, Rose and I."

"I know, Jess."

"So either you ditch them or you can't hang out with us."

"That's ridiculous!"

"It's really not," Lauren said. "We like you, Bella. Just stop hanging out with them and we'll forget everything."

"This is bullshit, you guys. I shouldn't have to choose. You're both my friends."

I felt tears welling up in my eyes and I blinked, willing them to go down.

"We are not going to hang out like one big, happy group. Don't delude yourself. You can tell us how we're being bitches and its not fair, but it is what it is." Lauren finished, picking up her coffee and sipping it.

"Fuck this. I'm going. I'll talk to you guys later, or whatever," I said, picking up my wallet and untouched latte."

0-0

Charlie wasn't home when I got there. On the kitchen counter there was a note with two twenties wrapped around it, informing me that he would be working a double and to order whatever take-out I wanted.

Not wanting to leave the house again, I called the pizza place we had on speed dial and ordered a medium combination pizza.

I headed upstairs, changing into a worn t-shirt and a pair of lounge pants. The pizza place was always slow, so I figured I had another half hour at least until the pizza arrived and decided to busy myself with homework.

By the time five rolled around, I had finished the majority of my homework, except for the assigned English reading and had eaten nearly half the pizza.

I had nothing to do. There weren't enough clothes for a full load of laundry, I had already cleaned the house yesterday.

Laying on my bed, everything that had been building and building the past couple months came to a head.

And I broke down.

It started out small, the tears I had been fighting back since the coffee shop spilled over, wetting my pillow.

I cried over my mother's pregnancy, the thought of leaving Charlie, Forks. I cried over Rose's betrayal and my friends harsh words. I cried because I wasn't sure what I felt for Edward Cullen, but I knew I felt something.]

The tears wouldn't stop coming until my insides hurt and I struggled to catch my breath.

When I felt I had no more tears to shed, I headed to the bathroom to see the damage.

My eyes were bloodshot and puffy, my face red and blotchy.

I looked a mess.

I needed someone to talk to.

I had no one to talk to about anything, except Edward.

Acting on impulse, I quickly washed my face and brushed my hair up into a sloppy bun. Not bothering to change my clothes, I ran down the stairs, grabbing my wallet and keys on the way out.

Although it had been a while since I had been to Edward's house, I knew the way almost subconsciously.

Edward's car was in the driveway when I pulled up along the curb in front of their house. After a quick check in my rear view mirror to make sure I looked presentable, I hastily got out of my truck and skipped up the steps to his front porch.

Calming my breathing down, I rang the doorbell and almost instantly heard footfalls on the other side of the door.

It felt like nearly an eternity before the door opened and I felt the tears welling up again. Geez, when did I become such a girl?

I quickly swiped them away when the front door opened, revealing Esme.

"Hello, Bella, dear." Esme greeted me.

"Um..hi Mrs. Cullen. Is Edward here?" I asked, hating how my voice cracked as I spoke.

"No, I'm sorry. I sent him and his father to the supermarket a little bit ago," Esme was looking at me with concerned eyes, but thankfully didn't comment on my appearance.

"Oh, okay. I'm sorry for bothering you. Could you just tell him that I stopped by? Or not, I mean, either way. It's okay. I suppose I can just see him at school tomorrow." My face heated up with my stupid blush at my bumbling words.

I must have opened up some sort of floodgates with the crying thing, because I started crying again. Out of embarrassment this time, I'm pretty sure. The irony of the situation didn't escape me.

But Esme just stood at the door, her face softening into a motherly look as she ushered me into the house.

"I'm sure they'll be back in a few minutes, Bella. Why don't you go wait for Edward upstairs in his room?"

I nodded my thanks at her and headed upstairs.

Edwards room looked exactly the same as it did the last time I was in here. It was all so neat and clean.

I slipped off my converse at the foot of the bed and climbed up, sitting cross-legged with my back against the headboard.

I now felt incredibly foolish coming here. What was I trying to accomplish? Edward and I had been friendly towards each other, but I could still tell we were strained since our meeting at the park. I had no right to come here and wallow in my own pity party and drag him down into it.

With a huff, I got off the bed and went to put my shoes back on to sneak out.

Then, the front door opened and I could hear guys voices.

Well, I guess I had no other option now.

I heard running up the steps followed shortly by the sound of the bedroom door knob turning.

Edward entered, looking worried as he took in my appearance.

"Bella, what's wrong? My mom said you came over upset? Are you okay?"

Edward looked genuinely concerned at me as he waited for my response, causing my heart to clench.

I didn't put any thought or effort into what I did next. In a way, it seemed to come almost naturally.

In three steps, I was off the bed and standing in front of Edward, who now had an unreadable expression on his face.

I didn't want to analyze his expression or any of the things I would normal go over and over again in my head.

I grabbed his biceps to steady myself and stood up on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his.

* * *

And there you go. A kiss. Sort of, maybe. We'll see how everything turns out next chapter, okay? I promise no month long wait!

I'm considering writing an outtake of the Emmett and Rose date. Should I?

**As always, I respond to all my reviews with a teaser of the next chapter! **

I'm co-hosting a contest with TKegl and Tropical Sorbet

**Announcing the Long Distance Lovin' Anonymous One-Shot Contest!**

When love's long distance, sometimes you've gotta make do. So we want your best phone-sexin', skype-lovin', naughty-textin', IM-mmm-mmm-ing good times. The only requirement is your two long-distance lovers must do the deed via some mode of technology... no hands-on activity allowed, unless it's the do-it-yourself kind.

Banners will be awarded for first, second, and third place, as well as two honorable mentions.

**Submissions will be accepted starting JUNE 1, 2010… so get to writing!**

For more information, go to **www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/~longdistancelovincontest**

I think that's all. I'll add more pictures to the blog soon. If you want to know what the hell I'm doing instead of writing, or to come say hi, I'm on Twitter. Links to my twitter page and blog are on my profile.


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended. Just in case you forgot.

Thanks to venomousgal for her help!

* * *

_In three steps, I was off the bed and standing in front of Edward, who now had an unreadable expression on his face._

_I didn't want to analyze his expression or any of the things I would normal go over and over again in my head._

_I grabbed his biceps to steady myself and stood up on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his._

0-0_  
_

Edwards lips were warm and soft against mine. So, so soft. I closed my eyes and lost myself in the moment and feel of Edwards lean muscles under my hands and the tingling of his lips on mine.

I began moving my lips against him; slowly, tentatively. I was so caught up in the moment and in awe of how right this felt, that I continued on for nearly a minute before I realized that Edward wasn't moving.

At all.

And his body was tense and rigid.

Horrified at what I had done, I pulled back quickly, releasing him from my grip.

He looked...terrified. His eyes were wide and his lips pressed in a tight line, his shoulders hunched and his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

Edward hated it.

Oh. My. God.

What did I just do? I practically assaulted him and thought he liked it!

Of course he wasn't going to be like, "Sorry, Bella, but the thought of kissing you repulses me."

"I am so sorry!" I apologized. "I don't know why I did that. Oh my God. Okay, I have to go. I can see myself out."

I was thankful I had already put my shoes back on, so I could make a quick exit.

As I flew past Edward, it didn't escape my notice that he made no move to stop me, didn't even look at me.

But I swore that I heard him call my name as I ran out of his room and down the stairs.

0-0

Sleep didn't come to me that night and when I heard the tires of Charlies cruiser crunching on the gravel outside, I threw a blanket over my shoulders and went downstairs to greet him.

"Hey, Dad," I said with a yawn as he hung up his gun belt and jacket.

"Morning, Bells." Charlie greeted, turning to face me. "You don't look so great, kid. Are you feeling alright?"

"Umm..." This was my out. "No, I didn't sleep last night. I have a headache. And my throat is sore. I don't think I should go to school today."

Charlie looked at me intently. "Yeah, there's some sort of virus going around. Maybe I should call Doctor Cullen and see if he can fit you in, just to make sure you don't need antibiotics or something."

"No!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "No, I mean, I'm sure I can just sleep it off. I'll be fine, really."

"Alright," Charlie agreed. "I'm going to get some sleep. I have to be back at the station by three. Unless you want me to stay here with you?"

I felt guilty. Like, really, really guilty. I mess up everything. Now I was making my dad concerned about my physical health, when really, it's my mental health that's all screwed up.

After assuring him that I would be fine and that I would wake him up or call him once he left for work if I needed anything, we both headed upstairs to our respective bedrooms.

It wasn't long before I heard Charlie's chainsaw snoring seep through my closed door.

Eventually, the need for rest overrode my running mind and I fell into a deep sleep.

The sound of the front door slamming reverberated through the old house, waking me.

Glancing at the analog clock on my nightstand, I saw that it was quarter to three, meaning Charlie had just left for work. Judging from the dark, angry looking clouds I could see out my bedroom window, it would be raining soon.

I sat up in bed, noticing how my head began to throb with the movement and my throat felt a little raw.

Great. I was actually becoming sick.

After taking two Tylenol PMs from the medicine cabinet and washing them down with water, I headed back to bed, nestling myself deep in the covers, shutting my eyes and letting the medicine begin to work.

I didn't go to school on Thursday or Friday, either. I had turned my phone off at some point on Tuesday and decided to turn it on Friday afternoon.

My phone instantly beeped, signaling missed calls, texts and voicemails.

It wasn't what I expected, though. Jessica had called once, not bothering to leave me a voicemail and had also texted me, asking if I could turn in her Spanish homework with mine, since she wanted to skip class to have a long lunch with Mike.

Rose had called me a few times, the most recently at lunch on Friday. She hadn't left any messages though.

Lauren hadn't tried to contact me.

Angela and Victoria called me each once, leaving concerned messages, asking if I was okay and reminding me that if I needed anything, to just call them.

Edward hadn't called.

I didn't really expect him to. But I still really, really hoped that he would. I gave him so many mixed signals on everything it was no wonder that he rejected me.

By the time Saturday morning rolled around, I was feeling a lot better. I still had a sinking feeling in my stomach, but my cold seemed to have let up, leaving me with a slightly stuffy nose. Dragging myself out of the warm comfort of my bed, I showered for the first time in two days, taking extra time to wash my face with apricot scrub and shave my legs. Trying to make myself feel somewhat normal.

When I got downstairs, Charlie was frying up eggs and bacon.

"Morning, Bells. You feeling better?" He asked me, pouring me a cup of orange juice.

"Yeah, actually." I responded, taking the cup of juice and drinking.

"That's good."

I leaned up against the counter, studying my dad. Something was...different. He still looked the same, but seemed lighter. Happier? Plus he was cooking something that required more than boiling water.

"What's gotten into you?" I asked.

"What? What do you mean?" Charlie asked, feigning ignorance.

I could see right through him. Liar.

"I mean, you're cooking. You're kind of smiling. You seem different," I pointed out.

Charlie sighed, mumbling something about me being always so damn observant, just like my mother.

"Gee, Bella. This isn't quite how I wanted to do this. Why don't you make some toast and set the table, then we'll talk."

He finished up frying the bacon, laying it on pieces of paper towel to soak up the grease as I toasted and buttered bread.

After everything was plated, we sat down together. I expected him to bring whatever it was on his mind up, but after a few minutes of eating, it was clear he was trying to avoid it.

"Come on, dad. What's going on. It's not something bad, right? I mean, cause if it was, you wouldn't be smiling."

Charlie set down his fork on his plate and cleared his throat.

"Well, now. A couple of weeks ago, when I was visiting the Blacks, they had one of their friends over, Sue Clearwater. Sue's husband, Harry, was a good friend of mine; a good man. He passed a few years ago and Sue moved away with her two kids, Seth and Leah. But, they've recently moved back to the reservation."

He paused, letting me digest the information.

I nodded. "Okay...and?"

"And well," Charlie scratched the back of his neck, looking nervous. "We kind of hit it off. Harry has been gone a few years and Sue mentioned being ready to move on. We, uh...we're going out tonight."

If I hadn't been sitting down, I'm pretty sure I would have fallen backwards. Even sitting down, I felt like I would fall off my chair.

Charlie never had girlfriends. There were never any women, friend or otherwise, at the house during any of my visits over the years.

I knew that he was still hung up on my mother and a part of him would always be. She was his first love and the dissolution of their marriage and mine and Renee's subsequent move across the country left him somewhat blindsided and alone.

Charlie was looking at me anxiously, waiting for me to respond.

"Wow, Dad. That's...awesome." I told him, for lack of a better word.

"Awesome?" He clarified, "So you're okay with this?"

"Of course, dad. I want you to be happy. I think it's good you finally met someone. Really good."

"So, if this becomes serious, you'll be okay with me being gone some, her coming over here and meeting her and her kids?" He questioned, staring to gauge my reaction.

I was a little weary on the whole kids aspect. What if they were brats? Or what if they were jerks?

I shook my head, clearing myself of the nagging thoughts. I was going to be happy for Charlie. He deserved it.

"It's fine, dad. Besides, it's only the first date...right? Take it in stride. Whatever happens, happens."

Sometimes, I wished I took my own advice.

The rest of the day went by pretty normally. I did a few loads of laundry and ironed Charlie's dress pants and a navy blue button down shirt.

He told me he was taking Sue to a nice restaurant and then, since she mentioned she was interested in jazz, he had found a small jazz club in Port Angeles as well.

Charlie was the most nervous I had ever seen him. He was pretty clueless on the whole dating thing, I mean, it had been almost twenty years since he went on a date with my mom. I didn't blame him.

He left a around five forty-five, wanting to stop by the florist to get Sue a bouquet of flowers.

I ordered a pizza for dinner and folded the last of the laundry until it came. Once it arrived, I curled up on the couch, throwing a blanket over me and turn on the television, determined to enjoy some mind-numbing entertainment for a few hours.

Around nine, I got tired of watching infomercials and cheesy sitcoms. I had done a good job of blocking out Tuesday's events, but they were always there, nagging my mind.

I needed to talk to someone.

If Edward had talked to any of the group about what happened, surely their loyalty would be with him. They were friends with him first and I wouldn't blame them.

Clearly, Rosalie, Jessica and Lauren were out of the question.

I could call Alice or Jane, but we didn't really have that kind of friendship. I didn't feel a hundred percent comfortable with just calling them up and asking for advice, or to lend an ear.

So, I did what any other teenage girl with no friends to turn to would do; I called my mommy.

It was midnight in Jacksonville. I felt bad calling this late at night, but I figured she would still be up. Besides, this was an emergency.

"Hello?" Renee answered on the second ring.

I could barely hear her voice over the phone. There was a lot of noise, talking, and loud music in the background.

"Are you...are you having a house party?" I asked.

Renee laughed. "Oh, no. I'm hosting a dinner party, dear."

"I'm sorry I disrupted you then...I can just call back tomorrow."

"No, Bella. Don't. I can always make time for my daughter." I could hear her feet shuffling as the noise got quieter. Eventually, I heard the closing of a door and the groan of her old mattress as she sat on it.

"I needed a break, anyways." She continued. "Been on my feet for hours. It's a lot of work to cook for ten guests, plus Phil and me."

"I can imagine," I said quietly, wondering what on earth she could have possibly cooked for a dinner party. She was terrible in the kitchen. Or in anything else slightly domestic.

"How's the whole...being pregnant thing going for you? Are you sure you don't want to find out the sex?" Renee had her sixteenth week ultrasound and in a last minute decision, her and Phil had decided they wanted the baby to be a surprise.

"Oh, come on, Bella. I know you really want to find out, but there are so few surprises nowadays. Besides, these next months will go by so fast, before you know it you'll be holding little baby Dwyer and helping me change dirty diapers.

I cringed at the thought of cleaning dirty diapers. My mom was almost halfway through her pregnancy. It was weird. As selfish as it sounded, I really didn't want to think about the baby; about the changes they would bring.

"Anyways, I gather that this isn't a purely social call, is it Bella?" She asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Well...no. It's not. Remember that guy I told you about? Edward?"

"Is that boy being mean to you? Now, Bella, you may like the guy, but you don't have to deal with a guy who treats you badly."

"No, mom. Nothing like that. Edward is..." I tried to think of an appropriate word to use to describe my 'relationship' with Edward. "Nice."

"Oh. Then what's the problem?" Renee asked, sounding confused.

I told her about how Rose told Jessica and Lauren and in turn probably the whole school. The intervention staged by Lauren and Jessica and how quick were to turn their backs on me. How I hadn't gone to school in the past few days. All finished off by the fact that I had kissed Edward Cullen in a moment of...weakness...and subsequently ran out after he had stayed as still as a statue.

"Maybe you just caught him off guard. It's not necessarily a bad thing that he didn't react," Renee offered.

No matter how brief the relationship, my mom had tons of boyfriends in the past, I thought she could offer some good advice or insight. Apparently not.

"He hasn't called, mom. He hasn't called and it's been three days. If the act of kissing me didn't completely repulse him, he would have called by now," I huffed. Feeling frustrated and annoyed.

"I'm sorry, honey. Just go to school Monday with your head held high and say screw 'em and move on."

"I guess," I sighed. While I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to hear, I knew that wasn't it. "I'm gonna let you get going now. You should have Phil kick out all your guests. It's late. You're pregnant. Sleep. I'll talk to you later...okay?"

I went to bed that night not feeling very comforted by my mother, but somehow, sleep came easier.

0-0

Since my first day at Forks high when I had been instantly accepted into a group, I had never once sat alone at lunch.

Yet here I was, sitting alone in my car, eating a PB and J, listening to the sounds of rain pouring down around me.

Monday morning was the first day I had ever gone to school with a sick feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach since my first day.

I dressed in faded, comfortable jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt and a heavy raincoat, pulling both hoods over my head.

Making myself appear invisible wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Underneath the dark, drab colors of my classmates raincoats, we all tended to blend in. Jessica didn't talk to me in Spanish, didn't even look in my direction as I walked into the classroom as she was already sitting in the desk behind mine.

Which brings me to now. With rain thundering down around me, I bit my lip in effort to curb the urge to cry. I wouldn't cry. I couldn't. I had no reason, no right. I was being a stupid, silly, dumb little girl.

As the day progressed, the knot in my stomach grew tighter, knowing that Biology, by the time fifth period was nearing its end, I watched the clock as it slowly ticked, marking the seconds to 1:10.

I wondered if Edward would be in class. Would he talk to me? Would he ignore me?

The bell rang and I didn't have any more time to over think sixth period. My feet moved on their own accord as I walk down the hall towards the science wing.

Edward was already sitting down at his desk, writing in the notebook as I so often saw him do. I tentatively sat down at the chair next to his, but didn't attempt eye contact or even a smile.

He hated me. He had to.

Biology wasn't over fast enough and this time I was the one that found myself leaping out of my seat seconds before the bell rang.

After a rousing game of dodgeball in PE, I dressed back in my school clothes and headed home, but not before banging my head repeatedly against the steering wheel.

The end of the school year couldn't come fast enough.

0-0

"Edward? Edward." He grabbed me, catching me by surprise as he pushed me up against the wall on his front porch.

"You're so pretty, so beautiful," he murmured into my hair. I could feel him, _all_ of him as he was pressed against me, so, so tight.

His lips trailed a path down my hair, my jaw. He felt so good. Too good.

As his lips found his way to my neck, he nipped at a particularly sensitive part at the juncture of my neck and shoulder, causing me to shudder.

I groaned, giving into sensation. His lips and breath were hot against my cool skin.

That seemed to spur him on and he pressed himself impossibly tighter against me. My hands weaved in his hair, tugging at the bronze locks while bringing his face closer to mine. He was all hard planes and softness. Hard, lean muscle under his sweater. Soft hair. Soft lips. Gentle, demanding kisses.

I looked up at him through hooded eyes and giggled, seeing that his glasses were steamed up. I plucked them off his face, tossing them onto the bench besides us.

Edward crouched down slightly, grabbing one of my thighs in his hands and hitching it around his waist. Taking the hint, wrapped my other leg around his waist.

"I need you, Bella." He groaned as he ground himself into me. He was so hard. I needed him, too.

Supporting me with one hand and using the wall as leverage, he snaked a hand down between us, attempting to work the buttons of my jeans with one hand.

"Edward, we're outside. We're on your front porch. Your parents are right inside!" I tried to reason.

His mouth captured mine, making my resolve weaken until it disappeared.

"My parents are asleep and it's pitch black out. Now shush," he commanded. I gave in completely as he finally got my jeans undone and his hand slipped beneath my panties to where I wanted it the most.

0-0

The past four nights since I had seen him at school Monday, I had dirty dreams involving Edward Cullen that always ended in me waking up, my hands down my underpants, before anything good actually go to happen.

School had been the same the rest of the week; Jessica and Lauren ignoring me and avoiding Rosalie and the others. Edward only spoke to me when necessary, which wasn't that often. Apparently, Mr. Banner thought that this week would be an excellent week to lecture.

The recently development of dreaming about Edward brought things up to an entirely new level of awkward. All I could think about was how realistic the dreams were and would find myself fighting to keep from staring at his lips during biology and imagining them on mine.

Hopefully, he didn't notice.

It felt weird, but right all at the same time to imagine myself being with Edward like that. He always said nice things to me in my dreams, he wanted me, desired me. It hurt to think about when I was awake, but I couldn't help myself. I was a huge masochist that relished in the feeling of a 'what if' that would never come true.

One of the things that surprised me the most during my week of being a self proclaimed pariah was how little I missed Lauren and Jessica. The anger towards them had begun to fade, but it was still there. After all, I knew how cruel they could be to others, so it wasn't too much of a shock when they turned on me.

We had been friends for over a year. They, along with Rose were my closest friends. Shouldn't I miss them? Shouldn't I miss the shopping and the gossiping and late, drunken nights?

I did miss Rose, in a way. I wanted to talk to her, ask her why she would betray me like that. But each time I thought of what she did, how she could do that to me, in front of me, the tears started to well up and I didn't want her to see me cry.

I hated that my new friendships with Victoria, Angela and the guys were cut short. I was just beginning to find out more about them and see how much we really do have in common.

I think Charlie could tell that I was in a bad mood; either that or Renee had called and filled him in, because Friday night he came home with DVDs I knew he would never pick out himself, like Jane Austen and Romeo and Juliet. We sat on the couch, eating pizza and brownies that Sue had apparently stopped by his work with.

Romeo and Juliet made me cry, like it always does and Charlie, without glancing my way, passed me a box of tissues as soon as he heard my sniffling begin. I know I fell asleep on the couch, but when I woke up, Charlie had already left for work and I was tucked warmly under the covers.

I was in the kitchen, wearing sweats and a t-shirt, drinking orange juice and eating toast when there were three sharp knocks on the door.

I absentmindedly wondered who it would be. After all, I was definitely not expecting any visitors, especially this early and anyone who knew Charlie would go to the station before checking here.

Unlocking the deadbolt, I opened the door.

"I think we need to have a little chat."

* * *

Cliffhanger again. I know, I suck. I also suck at updating, so I won't make any promises, other than that I'll try to update in a more timely manner! If you want to get on my back about updating, or just come and chat with me, i'm on twitter (at)HappyMess89

In the mean time my good friend luv4jake does rec's on her profile and blog every month. Maybe you'll find something you like www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/~luv4jake

My other half, Tropical Sorbet has a new story out that is only three chapters in, but its too good to not read. I also happen to beta for her. It's called **Edroar the Angry Lion**

Summary: **Edroar the Angry Lion frightens all the girls and boys at Cullen Publishing with his loud roar. Will his new masseuse Bella Swan run away like all the rest, or can she tame this savage beast? AH/AU OOC** www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6037621/1/


	11. Chapter 11

Hey look, it didn't take me forever and a day to do this. Please excuse any grammar/spelling errors. I literally JUST finished writing this and am now posting it in a rush before I head off to work.

Please read the A/N at the bottom and enjoy!

* * *

"_We need to talk."_

0-0

"Angela, Victoria," I greeted them. "Hi."

The stood just beyond the doorway, looking tired and determined.

"Can we come in?"

"Umm...sure," I said, stepping aside and letting them enter. I didn't really have any idea why they were here.I also momentarily wondered how they knew where I lived, but then remembered that everyone knew where the Chief of Police lived.

I curled up in Charlie's recliner, needing to find comfort in it, for whatever was going to happen.

Angela and Victoria sat down on the couch. For nearly five minutes, there was nothing but awkward, deafening silence and I was tempted to ask them to leave, simply so I could just go upstairs and cry.

Just when I was about to break the silence, Angela beat me to it, blurting out, "We want our boyfriends back!"

Victoria's head nodded fervently besides Angela's.

"I...don't get it. I haven't talked to James or Ben in over a week..." I replied, confused.

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Edward. He's been all emo and mopey all week long since whatever happened last week happened. He's been sucking up all of Ben's and James' free time. We get it, Edward's upset and needs his friends, but he's taking up _all _their time."

"Edwards upset? I knew he didn't like it, but I didn't think he was upset over it. I thought he was just ignoring me to...avoid me?" I knew I was making little sense. "What I mean is, I know he didn't like what I did and I thought he was mad. Not mopey and emo. Why would he be?"

Victoria smirked. "Okay, I really, really need to know what happened now. James and Ben are being tight lipped and I sure as hell know Edward won't tell us. He can barely make eye contact with us at lunch."

I sighed, deciding that it was better to just tell them. Maybe they could help. "I kissed Edward."

Angela's eyes grew wide and Victoria perked up.

"Wait, you kissed Edward?" Angela asked. "This is so perfect!"

"Oh, it is! Finally. I thought you guys would never get your shit together," Victoria added.

I shook my head. "You guys make no sense. He didn't like it."

"That can't be true. Edward is like...smitten."

"Angela, no. Edward doesn't like me and I don't even know if I like Edward. I mean, I think these thoughts about Edward that I really, really shouldn't. Oh God, I didn't mean to say that out loud. Ugh."

Victoria was besides herself now with laughter.

"Oh, God, Bella. Come on. Edward has had a thing for you since...forever. Since he first saw you, probably. Don't be dumb."

"Okay. You want to know what really happened?"

They both nodded their heads.

"I was in Edwards bedroom, waiting for him to come home."

They booth 'oohed' in unison.

"Stop! Seriously, I don't know what I was thinking just showing up and waiting for him. He came home, he was standing there, I grabbed him and kissed him. Like really kissed him. And he just stood there. Not moving. When I was leaving, he didn't even bother stopping me." I buried my face in my hands, feeling embarrassed.

"What a pussy!" Victoria exclaimed, earning a smack to the arm from Angela.

"Sorry, but I'm serious. I'm sorry. That sucks," she added.

I groaned, "I'm an idiot."

Angela came over and sat on the chair, rubbing my back. "No, Bella. Edwards just...shy. You probably just caught him by surprise."

"We haven't spoken all week. He won't even look at me or acknowledge me. And we sit next to each other in biology. This is a disaster. I'm too socially inept. Or maybe he is. I don't even know."

"He is such a guy. Don't even stress over it. The two of you just need to sit down and talk. Just continue to give yourself and him some distance, to think things over. Clear your head," Angela advised.

"I guess. I should talk to him. I'm just so...confused. Ever since I saw Edward, my life has just been turned upside down."

"We're sorry about Jessica and Lauren," Victoria apologized, "We know they've been saying...less than kind things about you for hanging out with us."

"Don't. You have nothing to apologize for. I know how Lauren and Jessica are. They're mostly just upset that I would prefer hanging out with you guys over them. Since they're supposed to be the popular kids and all that."

"Enough of all this depressing stuff. There's one more thing I want to ask. I know having Edward sitting with us might make things awkward, but why didn't you call us or find us in the hall. Where have you been during lunch? We would have sat with you."

This surprised me. "I was eating lunch in my car. I didn't think you wanted to talk to me. I figured Edward told you what had happened and you had sided with him. I totally understand, if you did."

"Bella, we don't pick sides. You're just as much of our friend as Edward is. So Monday, you're going to sit with us someplace else. How about we sit at the dugout on the field?" Angela asked.

"Yeah, sure." I smiled. "That sounds great, actually."

They stayed a few minutes longer, inviting me to go along with them to Port Angeles to see a movie, but I declined, needing the rest of the day and weekend to process what they said and think things over.

School the following week was a lot less lonely knowing that I still had friends. Lauren and Jessica continued on ignoring me, but no doubt had seen me head out to the field at the start of lunch every day. Rosalie hadn't made any real attempts to talk to me, only giving me meaningful glances which I ignored in the hallways. By this point, she probably thought I was being stupid and she was already over it.

After Angela and Victorias visit, I decided to let Edward come to me. It may have not been the right decision, but, to me it was. I had kissed him, then apologized and given him space. The ball was in his court.

Which meant, I smiled when I would catch Edward looking at me, but didn't try to engage him in conversation. I also pretended I wasn't upset that he hadn't tried to talk to me.

I was so screwed up.

Thursday during lunch, Angela suggested that we should get together Friday night for a sleepover. For some reason, I volunteered to have it at my house. Maybe as my own way of apologizing for _something _or in an attempt to win them over. I wasn't sure.

They both agreed enthusiastically and I told them I would stop by the supermarket to pick up junk food and suggested we order Chinese.

Angela and Victoria wanted to do normal, girly things like watch movies, paint nails and gossip. I was a little weary about it. I had never really had the typical girl sleepover.

But the more they talked about it, the more excited I grew and by the time lunch rolled around, I found myself genuinely looking forward to it.

Charlie was also happy that I had offered to have the sleepover at our house. Although he hadn't said anything to me about it, I'm positive he noticed how I hadn't been hanging out with Rose, Lauren or Jessica lately, as well as my new group of friends. I probably had been moping about the house the past week, even though I tried not to.

Plus, Charlie hated when he worked the overnight, not wanting to leave me home alone. On more than one occasion I had happened to see the cruiser go by the house late at night.

0-0

I was walking through the main aisle of the Thriftway, intent on purchasing enough junk food to last Victoria, Angela and I through the night for our sleep over.

The basket that was draped across my arm was heavy with cookies and candy, weighing me down as I headed towards the frozen foods aisle, needing chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

I rounded the corner, thinking distractedly about how I still had to call Mings to order Chinese food, when I stopped short.

A petite girl with long, blond hair and pale skin was standing in front of the ice cream, her arm linked through Edwards. She was looking up at Edward, smiling and talking and he looked down at her, letting out a loud laugh. A real, genuine laugh.

I watched as he listened intently to what she was saying. Eventually, he nodded his head, causing the girl to let out a squeal and jump up, kissing him excitedly on the cheek.

I had enough.

Turning around, I headed to the check out, quickly paying for the items. I drove straight home, feeling as if there was a knife wedged in my stomach.

By the time I got home, my mind was reeling with what I had just seen. Who the hell was that girl and _why _did he look so happy with her? Was that his girlfriend? She certainly didn't live in Forks, it was obvious by the way she dressed and the fact that she didn't look remotely familiar.

I made a hasty decision to not tell Victoria and Angela about seeing, him, _them _at the supermarket. I pushed the questions and hurt from the forefront of my mind, determined instead to reign in my emotions and enjoy the evening as planned.

Thirty minutes later, I had cleaned the house up a bit and put all the food out on the table in bowls.

The doorbell rang at precisely 5 o'clock.

"Hey you guys!" I smiled, letting them in.

Victoria walked in, followed by Angela..

"Hey. We brought movies and makeup stuff," Angela greeted me, holding up a large tote bag.

The rest of the evening passed by quickly. We had a steady stream of chick flicks on the TV, although they were mainly just background noise. We gorged ourselves on Mings Chinese food. A while later, Angela declared it was mani-pedi time.

Victoria set up all the polish while I cleared the empty take-out cartons.

Halfway through my nails being panted a blood red by Angela, I realized I couldn't control myself any longer.

"So... I saw Edward with another girl earlier. He definitely isn't into me."

"What?" Victoria exclaimed, shocked.

I explained to them what I saw at the Thriftway.

"You must has misinterpreted what you saw," was Angela's immediate reaction. "It couldn't have been what you think you saw."

I shook my head. "I don't know. He looked so happy. They looked so comfortable together."

"I agree with Angela," Victoria added. "Besides, we know he likes you and Ben or James would have mentioned if there was a girl."

"This is so confusing. You and James and Angela and Ben are just so...simple. You guys make things look so effortless. You just are. Was it always like that?"

Angela laughed. "No, not really. I mean, when I first met Ben in middle school, he was really...aloof. We were in a couple of each others classes, but we never seemed to really talk. Then, during the eighth grade end of the year bowling trip, we ended up being on the same team. After that, we were friends."

"When did you guys like...get together?"

"It took Ben an _entire year _to finally work up the courage to ask me out. I kind of thought he liked me, but I didn't want to get my hopes up, you know? But he was more..attentive to me. We hung out alone more often than we were with a group. Then, the week before Sophomore year started, we were in Port Angeles for the day getting school supplies and he just grabbed my hand as we were leaving a store and kissed me. The rest is just...history."

"Aww, that's actually really sweet."

"Yeah. I'm so glad that we both got into Boston College. I don't know what I would have done if one of us hadn't gotten in."

I felt a small pang, thinking about how in just a few short months, Angela and Ben would be graduating high school and moving across the country.

"That is lucky. Really lucky."

"My story isn't that exciting. James and I met in class freshman year. I ended up going to his house after school one day and we hooked up." Victoria giggled, "I realized that I really liked him and we clicked...in every way."

Angela blushed, laughing. "How romantic."

"You guys are lucky. I never really liked any guys in Phoenix, they're mostly jocks and just really conceited. Then here, most of the good guys are either taken or they're single and guys like Mike Newton."

Victoria snorted. "And Newton is such a catch."

"Exactly. But, I see Edward and it's like, I want that. I want what you and Angela have. I get so nervous around him and I just want to know everything about him. And he's just so baffling. I have no idea what's going on in his head. But...I want to know."

I sighed, stopping myself from running my hands through my hair, not wanting to mess up the nail polish. "I think I should talk to him."

"Yes!" Victoria exclaimed. "Talk to him. Try and work things out with him."

"I'm not sure there's anything to work out..." I trailed off. "Edward looked happy with that girl. If he's found someone and he's happy, then that just sucks for me, right? I missed my chance, if I ever really had one with him."

"Bella, don't freak out or stress over this before you really know. Looks can be deceiving," Angela advised, painting a top coat over my polish.

"You guys are right. Yeah. Tomorrow after you leave, I'll call him and ask if we can meet up. Hopefully he doesn't have plans with that girl. Ugh. What if he does? I hate that girl. I shouldn't, but I do." I realized I was mostly muttering to myself like a crazy lady.

"Sorry, but really? This is stupid. I'm being stupid and messing up our fun, girls night. Let's just not think about it, okay?"

Victoria and Angela reluctantly agreed, although I could tell they thought I still wanted to talk about it. Which I did. I felt like I needed to talk about it. But there would be enough time to do that tomorrow. With Edward. Hopefully.

We all fell asleep on the living room floor around two in the morning.

I woke up around seven the next morning, abnormally early for how late I fell asleep last night.

I moved quietly about the kitchen, looking for the ingredients to make pancakes.

After the smell of pancakes cooking lured Angela and Victoria from their sleep, we sat around the kitchen table and ate, talking sleepily about how much fun we had last night.

Shortly after they left, I cleaned the kitchen and living room up, then headed upstairs to shower and get ready.

By the time noon rolled around, I knew that I couldn't hold off the inevitable any longer. Grabbing my cell phone, I looked through my contacts list, my thumb lingering over the call button as Edwards name was highlighted.

Sucking it up, I pressed the call button and listened nervously as the phone rang. And rang. And rang. I was about to press the end button when I heard the phone connect.

"Hello?" Edward greeted, sounding slightly out of breath.

"Hey, it's me. Bella. Bella...Swan." I responded dumbly, hitting my forehead. Of course he knew it was me. He had my phone number and how many other Bella's were there in Forks?

"Yeah. Hi. What's up?"

"Do you think we could meet up?"

"Yeah, I guess." He sighed, "like right now?"

"Now would be good. How about where we met that one time? In ten minutes?"

Edward agreed and I hung up the phone, the butterflies in my stomach in full force.

I drove straight to the park, only to find that Edward had already beat me there. He was sitting on the top of a picnic table.

"Hey...you're early." I commented, sitting down beside him.

He shrugged, "I just had to put shoes on."

"Me too."

We sat in silence for a few minuets, watching as two seagulls fought over something a few yards in front of us.

"I didn't know you had a girlfriend," I blurted out, wishing I hadn't as soon as my mouth shut.

"A what? No, I don't have a girlfriend." Edward shook his head, turning to me. "Why...why would you think that?"

Edward looked genuinely surprised at my accusation. Maybe I _was_ wrong? Or, maybe he was lying in an attempt to spare my feelings.

"I saw you, at the Thriftway yesterday. With a girl? Blond hair? She was touching you and she kissed you. Well, on the cheek."

Edward looked panicked for a second, confirming my fears, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes before he spoke.

"Charlotte? No. Charlotte is definitely not my girlfriend. Her parents are family friends, since... forever. She's the same age as me and our birthdays are really close together. We've practically grown up together and we're close friends. But she is not my girlfriend. No way. Even if I did feel something for her, Charlotte is a lesbian."

"Oh..." I didn't know what to say, my mind was racing as I processed what he had just told me.

"Charlotte's dad surprised her mom with an Alaskan cruise for their twentieth wedding anniversary. Charlotte wanted to stay back in Chicago with her girlfriend. Her parents didn't like that idea, so mine offered to let her stay with us, since Seattle is where they embarked from."

"Oh. I'm sorry for just...jumping to conclusions like that. I thought that she was your girlfriend or you liked her and I had kissed you. I'm sorry for that too. Kissing you, I mean."

"Wait, what?"

"Really, Edward? I'm sorry for kissing you." I looked down, suddenly very interested in my shoes. "I shouldn't have just kissed you like that. I don't know what came over me. I thought that...I don't know what I was thinking. But then you didn't kiss me back and I realized 'hey, he doesn't want this.' So then I just left and the fact that you didn't try to call me or stop me or anything solidified the fact that you weren't into it."

I looked up to find Edward staring at me, slack jawed.

"Oh my God. This is so embarrassing. I'm basically mortified. Why am I such an idiot around you?" I groaned, burying my face in my hands.

"Bella...I _do_ like you."

The honesty in Edwards voice caused me to look up again at him, this time finding him staring at me intently.

"I've liked you since the first day I started Forks High and you didn't laugh. I liked you even more when we were at the barbecue at James' and I wanted to hug you when we left. But I was so nervous."

Edward ran a hand through his hair. "When you kissed me, I didn't kiss you back because...because I really lack experience and I had no idea what to do. I kept telling myself that you would never like me like that. I was your lab partner, the guy you hung out with in a group of people. But never like that.

To have you kiss me...it was something I never saw happening. I felt like such an idiot for not trying to stop you, for not kissing back."

He jumped off the table, then stood in front of me.

"I know we still have a lot to talk about, but I don't care. If you kissed me again. Bella...I would kiss you back."

Edward took a step back from me, allowing me to get off the table. Like the last time, I stood up on my tip toes, bracing myself on his upper arms. But unlike last time, when my lips met his, he kissed me back.

* * *

THE END.

Just kidding. But it kinda felt that way when I wrote it. But don't worry. These two kids have a lot of story left. The fun has just begun. I updated my blog with pictures of things. The link is on my profile. Follow me on Twitter (at)HappyMess89

Readership has kinda gone down the past couple chapters. Why don't you leave me a review and let me know how I'm doing? I read and reply to all my reviews with teasers.

If enough people are interested, I will post an EPOV of Whatever Comes Next that coincides with chapter 1, but as another story. So make sure you have me on author alert if you're interested.

That's it I think. Until next time!


	12. Chapter 12

I don't own anything Twilight.

Thank you to Tropical Sorbet for listening to me whine and for making me not delete all my words.

* * *

Kissing Edward and having him kiss me back was amazing. Although it was relatively chaste, lips parted ever so slightly, I could feel the energy coursing through my body.

When we parted, my face felt flushed and I saw his cheeks redden too, a silly grin on his face.

"What does this mean, now?" I asked, suddenly worried that we would go back to how things were the previous week.

"I don't know. What do you want to happen?" He countered.

"We could like...go on a date? That would be the logical thing, right? Unless you don't want to do this. I'll understand."

Edward laughed. "Bella, I want to do this. I feel like I should be asking you out on a date, though."

"Edward, this isn't the nineteen fifties. I can ask you out on a date and you don't have to ask my father permission to court me." I rolled my eyes.

"I know, but my mother would be horrified at the thought of me not doing this right. She raised me a certain way. Plus, my grandfather would probably roll over in his grave if he knew I didn't court you properly."

I wanted to laugh at Edward saying he wanted to court me, but held back. This was the first time I'd every heard him mention his grandfather's death since he came back from Chicago.

"Okay," I relented. "You plan something. Just tell me when and how to dress."

"That sounds good. I'll look into it."

I didn't respond, lost in my own thoughts for a moment. "What are we?"

I wanted to slap myself, again. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't put that pressure on you. Guys hate being asked that, right? I think I read that in one of Rosalie's Cosmo's."

"Bella, it's okay. I want whatever you're willing to give me," Edward assured me. Looking into his eyes, bright and glimmering, I knew he was being honest.

"So, you would be okay with me calling you my boyfriend?" I asked, hesitantly.

If possible, Edwards smile grew tenfold, becoming impossibly goofy looking on his face. "I'd like that. So long as I could call you my girlfriend."

I slapped his arm, loving this side of Edward that I had so rarely seen before. In fact, the only time prior to now that I had really seen Edward look so happy was last Friday with Charlotte.

I briefly felt jealously swell up inside of me. _She's just a friend. A childhood friend. She's a lesbian. _

Besides, he kissed me. He's smiling like that for me, now.

Edward and I didn't get much more time to talk. His mom called, wondering where he was and if he could pick up his fathers dry cleaning.

Our goodbye was awkward, but not as much as before. My arms wrapped themselves around his neck and I took a deep breathe into his shirt. He smelled so good, like pine and musk and Edward.

0-0

I didn't talk to Edward for the rest of the day on Saturday. Or all of Sunday. I had picked up the phone countless times, wanting to just call him, but never actually doing so. It was ridiculous, he was my boyfriend. I should be able to just pick up the phone and call him. But he should have been able to call me, as well.

It was nearly one AM on Monday and I had yet to fall asleep. Tossing and turning, I was so nervous about the coming school day. How would I act around Edward? Around our friends and the entire school?

I should have called him. I felt so unprepared and hated it.

My phone beeped quietly from my nightstand, alerting me of a new text message.

_Are you awake? -E_

I stared at the screen for a moment, then highlighted his name and pressing send.

The phone rang once before he answered.

"Hi."

"Hi. Is this okay?" I whispered. I could hear Charlie snoring down the hall, but didn't want to speak too loudly in case he woke up. "I mean, calling you this late?"

"Of course. I couldn't fall asleep. I would have called, but I wasn't sure if you would be awake. Why are you awake?"

"I couldn't sleep either," I replied, stifling a yawn.

"You aren't...you aren't _regretting _this, are you?" His voice wavered slightly, sounding worried.

"No!" I exclaimed, too loudly. I stayed still for a moment, listening for any signs of Charlie waking up.

"No," I whispered. "I'm not. I'm just nervous about tomorrow. Is it okay if I still have lunch with just Angela and Victoria tomorrow? I haven't talked to them since all this happened. I know they'll want to talk. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I'll tell the guys too, I guess. I'm sure they'll be happy."

"Okay, so that sounds good. I guess I should get to sleep now, I am pretty tired," I yawned.

Edward chuckled quietly. "Okay, Bella. I'll see you at school."

"Night, Edward."

"Sweet dreams, Bella."

0-0

"Oh, my GOD!" Victoria exclaimed, squealing loudly enough to earn a chastising look from the librarian.

I had just finished retelling Angela and her how mine and Edwards talk had gone, earning 'aww's' and squeals of excitement from both of them.

"I knew it, Bella! I so told you!" Angela said excitedly, smiling widely.

I couldn't help the blush that rose to my cheeks and the uncontrollable fit of giggles that bubbled in my throat.

I had yet to see Edward today, but James had texted Victoria, letting her know that Edward had requested they have a 'guys lunch' out in the quad. This eased my worries, knowing that he wasn't backing out on telling them.

"Yes, yes. You both were right, I was wrong." I rolled my eyes.

"This is great, Bella. Edward's a really great guy. You two deserve each other, really." Angela reached over and gave me a quick hug. "You guys are going to be so cute together."

Victoria nodded in agreement. "I mean, now when the six of us hang out, it's like a triple date or something, not like the two couples and the two blind idiots who can't see what's in front of them."

"Vic!" Angela admonished, shaking her head.

"No, no it's true, I guess. I'm happy. This is all so new, but it's going to be a good thing. I think."

0-0

Biology was hell.

Unlike the times that it had been hell because he wasn't there or he wasn't speaking to me, it was now hell because of how acutely aware of his presence I was.

Mr. Banner was out at a science conference, so we had a substitute. Our lesson included watching part of a documentary on reproduction, which was the last unit we would be covering before finals.

I couldn't have told anyone what the documentary covered, although judging from the bursts of nervous giggles from classmates, it had to be somewhat embarrassing.

The space between Edward and felt like it was vibrating with electricity. We were sitting with our chairs closer together than we ever had before, but it didn't seem close enough. Feeling like I needed to have some sort of physical contact with him, I reached over, grabbing his hand that was resting on his knee.

His head snapped over to my direction, looking at me before a lazy smile found its way on his face.

Our seats were in the back of the room and the lights were off, everyone's attention otherwise focused on the television screen. Edward's hand stayed locked with mine, under the desk and resting on his knee, his thumb tracing swirling patterns on the back of my hand.

We stayed like that the entire period, until the bell was about to ring and the substitute flipped on the lights.

After packing up our things, Edward followed me out of the classroom, trailing slightly behind me as we made our way towards our next classes.

"Soo..." Edward began.

"Yeah?" I asked, turning around and pausing so that he could catch up to me.

"Charlotte's still in town until Wednesday and she kind of, really wants to meet you."

"She does?"

"Well, yeah. It's no big deal, really. Charlotte just made me promise I would ask you. You can say no."

"No." I shook my head. "I mean, no, I wouldn't say no. So yes. After school is good?"  
"Yeah. That sounds good. Charlotte told me she would just be hanging around the house today, so anytime is good."

I nodded. "I'll just run home really quick after school and then stop by."

The next two periods passed by slowly. I was excited and nervous about going over to Edwards after school. Excited to spend time with Edward, yes. But nervous about going to his home for the first time since we became a couple. What if his parent's didn't think I was right for their son? I was also really nervous about meeting Charlotte and felt stupid when the familiar feeling of jealousy tinged my thoughts. _She's just a friend. A childhood friend. She's a lesbian. _

A light mist of rain was coming down in Forks as I drove over to Edwards. His parents must have been at work, since the only car out front was Edwards Volvo. Well, at least that was one less thing to worry about.

I pulled the hood of my jacket over my head and skipped out of my car and up the path leading to his house.

After ringing the doorbell, I could hear a lot of commotion coming from behind the closed door.

The door quickly swung open, revealing the same small girl I had seen hanging all over Edward the day in the supermarket.

"Hi! You must be Bella, come on in!" Charlotte greeted, moving to the side of the door and flourishing me to come in.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you..." I trailed off, feeling awkward. Edward stood behind Charlotte, cringing.

"Charlotte! But surely, Edward here has told you about me, right?" She turned around to look at Edward, who shook his head.

"Seriously, Edward? You haven't shut up about her months and you couldn't even mention me in passing? I'm hurt."

Edward groaned. "Could you just...shut up? Please."

"Edward's just being weird." I piped up, shooting Edward a look before turning back to Charlotte. I really didn't want her to dislike me or think poorly of him. "He's mentioned you before. Both your families are friends. Known each other since diapers, all that good stuff."

Charlotte broke out into a wide smile and stepped forward, linking her arm through mine. "I think I like you, Bella Swan."

"Wait, how do you know my last name?" I asked.

Charlotte laughed, rolling her eyes. "I probably know everything about you. But, I bet you don't know everything about Edward. Come on, let's leave Edward to his own devices and go up to his room. I can tell you all his dirty little secrets. Like where he hides his porn."

"I do _not_ have porn!" Edward yelled, his face turning red.

If Edward hadn't looked so panicked and embarrassed, I would have found this whole scenario incredibly funny.

"I don't know, Charlotte. I think I should let Edward tell me things on his own time," I suggested, trying to save Edward from further embarrassment.

"Ugh. Fine. It's probably best to hear it from him. But seriously, he does have porn."

"Ookayy..." I replied, making a mental note to ask him about the porn.

After the interesting greeting, we all headed to the living room where the TV was. Charlotte sat down on one of the arm chairs, while Edward and I took the couch.

"Oh, is Newport Harbor on? I love that show." Charlotte commented, picking up the remote and flipping through the channels.

After enduring an entire episode, with Charlotte talking the entire time, trying to fill me in on the entire season, which apparently I had missed, her phone rang.

"Oh!" Charlotte jumped up, clutching at her phone. "I have to take this, it's Peter. If you leave before I'm done, it was so great meeting you. I'll make sure to get your number from Edward so we can chat sometime!"

"Okay, it was nice meeting you too!" I called after Charlotte as she ran upstairs to take her call.

"Who's Peter?"

"Peter is Charlotte's girlfriend," Edward answered, shutting off the TV.

"Oh." I shrugged, "Charlotte's really nice. I was...nervous, I guess, about meeting her today."

"Nice is definitely one way to put it. How about embarrassing, pushy...I could think of a few things. Why were you nervous?"

"It's silly, really. But you guys have known each other for a long time. If she didn't like me, maybe that would make you think twice."

I looked down, feeling stupid about mentioning anything. I definitely wouldn't say how I felt slightly and very unreasonably jealous towards their relationship.

"No, Bella. That's not even an issue because I knew she would, Charlotte's really cool like that."

"Well, I should get going. Charlie will be home soon and hungry."

"Let me walk you to your car, then." Edward stood up, holding his hand out for me to stand as well.

"That's okay. How about just until the door? It looks like it's raining pretty hard," I looked over at the window, seeing the sky a nasty shade of grey.

When we got to the door, there was a pause. I wasn't quite sure what the protocol was for this goodbye's. Did I hug him? Kiss his cheek?

I found myself second guessing everything around Edward and for a moment, I found myself wishing that he had more experience so he could take the lead in these kind of situations.

I quickly pushed that idea out of my head because, really? I wanted Edward to have more experience? Yeah, right.

Basically, though, the boy had been driving me crazy all day. And what boy is going to reject a kiss from his girlfriend?

Standing in front of him, I reach my arms up and wrapped them around his neck, gently tugging him down.

As I pulled him closer to me, I could actually feel him take deep breathes, his chest expanding against mine and feel his breath on my face as he parted his lips to lick them.

When his lips met mine, I wanted to do something embarrassing like moan or push myself harder against him.

I could count the amount of times we had kissed on both hands, but I was pretty sure that we would be doing a lot more of this. Preferably all the time.

The way Edwards lips moved against mine was incredible and left me doubting that I had ever been truly kissed before. Because, really, what the hell had I been doing before? I'd only had a handful of kisses in the past, but I never felt anything. It was also just perfunctory. My first kiss was simply a means to an end as I did not want to move to a new state without having that looming over me.

I continued to lose myself in the way Edward kissed me and feeling emboldened, parted my lips ever so slightly to trace Edward's lips with my tongue.

French kissing was something I hadn't done, so we were both in completely foreign territory. But it was beyond nice, feeling Edwards tongue graze against mine, slowly and languidly, not at all how I had seen Jessica or Lauren shove their tongue's down guys throats.

When the need to breathe became overwhelming, I kissed him again, lightly against the mouth and pulled back.

Then I giggled. Like full on, ridiculously girly giggles.

"Um..Bella? Are you okay?" Edward asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah, I'm good," I said, trying to control myself.

"Okay, you're kind of bruising my ego, here." Edward frowned, "I'm pretty sure you aren't supposed to laugh after something like that."

"No no no!" I shook my head. "I don't know why I started laughing. I'm just, happy? Yes. Like, really happy. That was a pretty amazing kiss."

"I thought so too, Bella. At least I didn't laugh," he teased.

"Okay, okay. Laughing after kissing is bad. I'll take note of that for future reference. But I really gotta go now, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow. Drive safe." Edward gave me another quick peck before opening the door for me and watching as I ran out to my car and got in, before he closed the door to his house.

I giggled the whole damn way home.

0-0

By the time Thursday morning rolled around, I figured I should probably tell Charlie about Edward and me, especially since we were going on a date the next night.

The past few days had been great, the guys had reintegrated themselves with us during lunch and we feel back into easy lunches. Victoria, Angela and their boyfriends were really great in that they didn't make a big deal out of Edward and me getting together, in fact, they had yet to openly comment on it, even when Edward would do things he wouldn't normally have done before, like reach out and touch me or sit closely to me.

I wasn't too worried about Charlie's reaction to the news, although I really had no idea how he would react. After all, he had once before thought Edward might be my boyfriend and he didn't totally freak out. He hadn't seemed too upset at the idea when he thought it was a possibility before.

I figured I'd cook something he really liked, but wasn't so out of the ordinary that he would automatically assume something was up.

Which is exactly what I did Thursday evening.

I made Salisbury steak, scalloped potatoes and mixed steamed vegetables, feeling the need to put something remotely healthy in the meal.

Once the meal was plated and Charlie was halfway through his first helping, I decided it was now or never. Because really, what was I so scared about?

"Hey, dad?" I began.

"Huh?" Charlie grunted, shoving another forkful of potatoes in his mouth.

"You remember Edward, right? Edward Cullen?"

"The kid that kept calling here? He giving you a hard time, Bells?" Charlie asked, narrowing his eyes.

"No...no, nothing like that. Actually, do you remember when you said I should throw him a bone?"

"Vaguely," Charlie responded, sounding suspicious.

"Well, I did. Throw him a bone." I winced, realizing how much of and idiot I sounded like.

"Oh, you did, did you?"

"Edward and I are going out on a date tomorrow night, is what I'm trying to say. But we're kind of like, together, already."

"Well," Charlie set down his fork against his plate and took a long drink from his beer. "I'd like to meet this Edward guy, officially."

Instantly, flashes of Charlie embarrassing Edward and making him nervous flooded through my brain. Charlie asking his intentions. Charlie cleaning his gun in front of Edward.

"Please, don't humiliate me. Or scare away Edward. I really like him and I would like him to not feel terrified to date me," I begged.

"Don't worry about me, Bella. I just want to meet the kid."

"Okay, as long as that's it."

Charlie just grunted again, before helping himself to another serving of food.

I pushed back any nerves I felt at calling Edward. If I had his tongue in my mouth, I could call him without feeling like I was possibly intruding or bothering him.

"Hey," Edward greeted when he picked up on the second ring.

"So, I told Charlie."

"I told my parent's." Edward replied. "How did it go with Charlie?"

I sighed. "Good, I suppose. You just have to come inside when you pick me up tomorrow night. He wants to meet you, officially. Whatever that means."

Edward audibly gulped on the other side of the line. "It's not a big deal, Edward. He may try to scare you, but he's harmless. All bark, no bite."

"If you say so."

"I do." I replied, decidedly. "How did your parent's react?"

"They were...excited. To say the least. Mom wants to invite you over to dinner."

"They don't hate me, then?" I bit my lip, releasing it with a sigh. "I am, was, whatever, a bitch. They have every reason to. I should apologize to them."

"Bella, they don't hate you. They just want me to be happy. You, you make me happy."

0-0

Edward hadn't told me where we were going, just that I should wear 'something pretty.'

My wardrobe consisted of very few things I would venture to call 'pretty' or were suitable for a date. Then I remembered the dress Renee had bought for me on our shopping trip in Phoenix. I dug out the garment bag from the back of my closet, unzipping it to reveal a black and blue hounds-tooth printed dress.

Decided that's what I would wear, I went about my routine of showering and shaving, using the nice body wash I rarely used that smelled like Gardenia.

Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped up my hair and changed into the black lacy bra and matching boy shorts I had. I definitely didn't expect Edward to see them, but if there's one thing I learned from Rosalie, it was that pretty bra's and panties give you confidence.

Thinking about Rose, even in passing left me feeling upset. I missed hanging out with her and even taking those stupid quizzes in Cosmo that she always insisted I take.

But I couldn't think about that now. I was already nervous enough.

It took me nearly half an hour to get ready for the date. I stayed in a fluffy robe while I did my hair, which basically consisted of brushing it and letting it dry, leaving it naturally wavy. I put Gardenia lotion on my arms and legs and moisturizer on my face, using just a thin coat of mascara on my eyelashes.

Once I was satisfied with how I looked, I took the dress out of the garment bag and unzipped the side, stepping into it so I wouldn't mess up my hair.

Glancing at the clock on my nightstand, I saw that it was five fifty. Teen minutes before Edward would get here.

I slipped on my converse, the nice pair I hardly ever wore and grabbed the clutch I was bringing with me, throwing in my cell phone, gum, wallet and chapstick.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Charlie was sitting on the couch, watching the news and clutching a beer in one hand.

"Hey, dad." I greeted him.

He turned around, looking back to where I was, before turning back towards the television. Then he did a double take.

"Wow, Bells. You look really nice."

He sounded genuinely surprised that I could actually manage to look nice, that it actually kind of hurt. "Yeah, well, I can be a girl sometimes."

Detecting the irritation in my voice, he backtracked. "No, Bells. You always look nice. You just look so grown up. You're not my little girl anymore."

"Daddd," I whined, sitting down on the couch besides him. "I know it's cliche, but I'll always be your little girl."

Huffing, Charlie took another gulp of his beer. "Yeah, yeah. Tell that to the Cullen boy that's been sitting out in front of the house the past five minutes. Trying to steal my little girl away."

"Wait, what?"

"The Cullen boy has been sitting in his car in front of our house for the past five minutes. Seems a little eager, if you ask me."

"You're kidding me, right? He's just sitting out there? Why didn't you come get me? He didn't call!" I pulled my phone out of my clutch, double checking to make sure. No missed calls. No texts.

"Bella, let him wait. Another few minutes won't kill the guy. He's probably nervous about tonight. Don't you think that dress is a little on the shorter side?"

I look down at my lap, the dress goes mid-thigh. "Dad!"

"Okay, okay!" He holds up his free hand in mock surrender. "I'm just saying. You don't need to go chasing after boys."

I thought I heard him murmur something that sounded like 'like your mother,' but couldn't be sure, because at the same time, I heard a car door slam.

I stood up, pointing a finger at Charlie. "Be nice!"

He just grunts and takes another sip of his beer.

The doorbell rings and I give Charlie one more pointed look before going over to open the door.

"Hi!"

"Hey, Bella." Edward smiled, holding out a bouquet of flowers. "These are for you."

I take the flowers from his hands and just stare at them, feeling an incredibly girly sound threatening to escape my mouth. Never in a million years would I thought Edward would bring flowers. And that I would be so excited to get flowers.

"Thank you, they're beautiful. Come in." I stand out of the way to let him into the house and see that Charlie has come over as well.

Edward visibly gulps.

"Dad, this is Edward. Edward, this is my dad, Charlie."

"Hello, sir." Edward stuck out his hand and shook my dads.

"Nice to meet you," Charlie says with a nod of his head. I noticed he didn't correct Edward for calling him sir and while the sentiment is nice, I nudged him.

"Charlie, er, call me Charlie. Now, what are your plans for tonight, Bells?"

"We're going out to dinner, then a movie, right Edward?"

"Right."

"You'll be home by eleven?"

"Dad." I haven't had an eleven o'clock curfew since I was fifteen. "We're going to Port Angeles, remember?"

"Fine." Charlie relents. "Midnight."

There's an weird silence going on, so I sighed and turned to Edward. "Okay, this has been fun. Let's get going, alright?"

Edward nodded and turned back to Charlie. "I'll be sure to take good care of your daughter, sir."

Charlie's lip twitched and I couldn't tell if he was amused because Edward was so respectful, or if he was upset over having nothing bad on Edward yet.

"Okay, umm, have fun you too." Charlie smiled. "But not too much fun!" He added at the end as we opened up the door and started walking out to the car.

"Okay, dad. Bye! Oh and please put the flowers in a vase?" I called after him as we exited the house.

I look over at Edward as we're walking down the path. He's wearing an argyle sweater, black pants and shoes, which luckily, like mine, aren't dressy. He's also wearing his glasses and his hair is unruly as ever, although I can tell he made an attempt to tame it.

"I'm really sorry about my dad." I said, as Edward opened up the car door for me.

After he made sure I was in, he walked around and got in the car. "It's okay, Bella. He's your dad. Honestly, I thought it was going to go a lot...worse."

"Yeah." I nervously giggled. "At least he wasn't cleaning his gun."

Edwards laugh sounded equally as nervous. "Yeah. At least he wasn't."

* * *

I split chapter 12 into 2 chapters, because it was getting longer than I'd like chapters to be in this story. So, chapter 13 is already a 1,000 words in and there shouldn't be a long wait at all. If you reviewed last chapter, the teaser I sent is now not until next chapter.

I have a facebook, link is on my profile. I also updated my blog with pictures of the restaurant they're going to as well as the outfits they're wearing.

I'm curious, is there a song from when you were in high school that defined those four years? Or when you hear it, takes you back to that time? Let me know in your review. I'm hoping to compile a playlist.

I'm beta'ing a new story called Flash Drives by LaTiDo. She updates more frequently than me, which is awesome. Go check it out. www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6262524/


	13. Chapter 13

I didn't send out review replies for the last chapter. Sorry! I love each and every one of your reviews. They make me smile.

* * *

The drive to Port Angeles went by slowly. Neither Edward nor myself were huge conversationalists and we seemed to be both experiencing first date jitters.

Once we were a few miles out of the town limits, Edward spoke.

"I have an iPod in the glovebox, if you want to listen to some music, there should be the chord, too."

Once I had the iPod all hooked up, I scrolled through his music selection, before deciding to listen to Bright Eyes.

"So, where exactly are we going?" I asked, turning down the volume a bit.

"We have reservations at the Moonshine Steakhouse, I hope that's okay?"

I shrugged. "I've never been. I think I've heard of it though."

"It's my favorite restaurant that I've been to, since I moved."

"What was your favorite in Chicago?" I asked him. I found myself actually curious and wanting to know as much about him as possible, even his favorite restaurant in a state I'd never been to.

"There's a place called Hot Doug's. They have like, all these different types of hot dogs. It's pretty cool."

"Seriously? I just saw that place on the Travel Channel a few days ago! I love sauerkraut. I could probably eat an entire jar of it."

Sometimes, I just wish I could shut up. I'm on a date with Edward Cullen and talking about fermented cabbage. He most likely thinks it's gross and won't want to kiss me again. Ever.

"Sorry, I'm just really hungry."

It was true, I'd only had a bowl of cereal in the morning, too nervous to eat during or after school.

"It's okay, Bella. I'm pretty hungry too. Good thing there's no traffic."

I wanted to tell him that of course there was no traffic. This was a remote part of Washington, the only time we saw traffic was if a tree fell over the road or it was too rainy to drive.

The rest of the drive to Port Angeles was spent learning more about each other. I found out he wasn't entirely too sure of what he wanted study when he went to college.

While his father never pressured him, Edward knew his father wanted him to go into medicine, like him. His grandfather, a financial analyst, hoped he would get into the financial world, Edward having always been good with numbers.

When he asked me the same question, I wasn't too sure what to say. I knew I wanted to further my education after high school, but with the amount of money in my college fund, I didn't have too huge a choice.

"Maybe...English? Being a librarian might be cool. I also like history. Maybe a museum curator? I'm not really good at anything..." I trailed off. I didn't want Edward to think I was a complete loser or so desperate I would stoop to fishing for compliments.

"I'm sure that's not true, Bella. Everyone's good at something."

We fell into silence the rest of the drive, which luckily wasn't that much further.

Edward pulled into a small corner parking lot in downtown Port Angeles.

"I hope you're okay with walking, we're about a block or so from the restaurant, but parking kind of sucks here, if you want, I can drop you off at the front then-"

"Edward," I reached out, grabbing his hand. "It's fine. I'm wearing Converse. I think I can walk."

He was at my car door by the time I got out and shut it for me.

"Can I just do one thing?" Edward's voice was low, nervous.

His body was so close to mine, distracting me, so that all I could do was nod.

He took another step forward and I took one back until my back was up against the car door.

My entire body relaxed as soon as Edwards lips met mine in tentative touches. He hands were on my shoulders. I grabbed onto him, clutching fistfuls of his sweater, but he pulled back before things could escalate further.

"Wow, what was that for?" I asked, biting back a smile.

"I don't know." One of Edward's hands went from my shoulder to rake through his hair, leaving it a mess. "I just wanted to do that since I picked you up tonight. You look beautiful. Stunning."

There must have been something wrong with me. Edward gives me the nicest, most sincere sounding compliment I'd ever received by anyone who wasn't obligated to compliment me, like my parents. Yet, my first thought was what teenager tells someone they look stunning? I mean, I had heard Mike tell Jessica she looked hot, or Tyler tell Lauren that her ass looked 'slammin'' in her jeans, but stunning? I thought it was a much nicer compliment.

"Thank you. You look really...handsome. Like, I'm not really sure how to explain. But I really think I like argyle."

Edward just laughed, shaking his head then grabbed my hand as we walked towards the restaurant.

0-0

We were seated in a booth in the back corner of the Moonshine Lodge. After the waitress took our drink orders and I had chosen what I wanted from the menu, I looked around the dining area.

It was basically anything you would expect from the name. The walls as well as the floors, ceilings and furniture were all different shades of dark paneled wood and there were deer trophies hanging up on the walls amongst paintings different types of birds. It was a very...manly place.

There were a lot of other people at the restaurant and the bar that was in another area of the restaurant had lots of noise and talking coming from it.

"Do you know what you want?" Edward asked, breaking me out of my observations.

"Yeah, what about you? Everything sounds really good. What do you usually get?"

"Umm, usually my parents order the Filet Mignon spring rolls, then I usually get the Prime New York Strip."

I flipped my menu open, looking to see what the descriptions of the foods were. That's when I noticed the prices.

"Holy crap, Edward. That's a forty dollar dish!" I freaked out. I had only brought a twenty with me to dinner to help pay. Glancing over to my selection, I saw that the Top Sirloin was nearly thirty. "This is too expensive."

"Bella, stop." Edward said, effectively shushing me. "It's not too expensive. It's fine. It's our first date...hopefully the first of many, if you don't realize I'm just a loser and run the other way. I want it to be special."

By the time Edward was done speaking, his cheeks were tinged pink and he was playing with his cloth napkin, twisting and untwisting it.

"Hey, Edward. Don't be like that. This isn't the first and last date. This is the first of hopefully a lot of dates. Let's just hope that I don't scare you off. I can usually scarf down inordinate amount of food and I've yet to see the dessert menu."

The waitress came by shortly after that and we took turns asking each other simply questions until the food arrived.

I'd never tasted such good food in my life. The steak was perfect as was the twice baked potato. It was definitely better than the steak I usually cooked for Charlie at home.

When our waitress asked us if we wanted to see a dessert menu, Edward asked if he could just order dessert for us. Shrugging, I agreed.

The dessert was a gigantic Molten Lava cake topped with whipped cream, slivered almonds, caramel and chocolate syrup. Simply put, it was heaven.

"Mmmm," I groaned as soon as my tongue hit my spoon. "This is so good, Edward."

Edward laughed nervously, shifting in his seat. "I'm glad you like it, Bella."

I nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely. From now on, you pick out the dessert everywhere we go."

Edward paid the bill, refusing to accept any of money, even for the tip, then we gathered up our stuff to go.

0-0

After leaving the restaurant, Edward and I decided to walk around, enjoying each others company and the freedom of being able to openly display affection towards each other without prying eyes or gossipers.

Edward had his arm around my shoulder, pulling me under the crook of my arm while my arm was wrapped around his waist, underneath the pea coat he wore.

"Un-fucking-believable." Lauren's voice rang out from behind us and I turned quickly, shrugging out of Edwards embrace, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"Lauren. Hi," I greeted, forcing a smile. She was wearing a ridiculous amount of make up, an equally ridiculously short dress and was hanging all over Tyler.

"I just knew you were fucking Cullen."

"Lauren, just give it up. Seriously. I didn't do anything wrong. Why are you being a bitch?"

She scoffed. "Didn't do anything wrong? Let me see, you lied to us and chose_ them _over us. Now you're fucking that. And I'm not a bitch. I'm simply calling it like I see it."

I felt Edward tense besides me and I instantly saw red.

"Don't you fucking talk like that about Edward or his friends. They're nice. They're normal. I was sorry that I lied to you guys about what I was doing, but really, all of you haven't really given me a reason to stay sorry."

Lauren just stood there, a bitchy smirk on her face.

"Why don't we just go our separate ways. You do your thing, I do mine, we don't speak. Don't acknowledge each other at schools. Sound good?"

The smirk on Lauren's face turned into something resembling a sneer and she let out a quick laugh. "Whatever, Bella. Enjoy your date."

With that, she reattached herself to Tyler's side and led him past us, Tyler calling out a goodbye as they went.

"What was that?" Edward asked, after Lauren and Tyler were out of our sight.

I sighed. "That was Lauren, well...That was Lauren showing us her true colors, I guess."

I reached for Edwards arm, wanting to tug him along and go someplace more private to continue talking, rather than the middle of the busy sidewalk.

"No. Not that. I know what that was. I mean, you saw them and you just, tried to get away from me. We were walking and when you saw them, you instantly separated yourself from me. Like you were embarrassed by me."

I cringed. "Edward, no. I wasn't embarrassed. I just know how Lauren can be. I'm sorry. I'm a bitch. I'm no better than Lauren. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry. Please?"

Edward sighed, letting out a frustrated groan. "That can't happen again, Bella. Please. I get that this is new and everything and we don't have to...advertise it, but it a shitty feeling to have you detach yourself like that from me."

I hung my head. "I know. I promise, really. I'm sorry I ruined this night. Everything was going so well and then Lauren had to show up and then I made you feel bad..."

"Hey, I'm having a good time. This was just a little road bump. I'm sorry too for freaking out. I shouldn't have."

"How about we're both sorry, it won't happen again. Let's just forget about this and move on with our night?"

Edward smiled, agreeing.

After walking around a bit more and stopping by some of the shops that were still open, we headed back to the car.

This time, our hands stayed clasped over the center console the entire ride home.

When we drove up to my house, Edward turned off the car. "I'll walk you up, okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "Edward, I think I can make it up the path. I'm not going to get lost and no one will jump out from behind the bushes."

"Hey, it's all part of a proper date, okay? Besides, you should have heard the lecture my parents gave me on proper etiquette before I Ieft."

As soon as we got up to the front porch, the door opened, revealing Charlie. "Hey, kids. Have a good time?"

"Ermm, hey Chief...Charlie." Edward said, now looking nervous. "We had a good time."

"Not too good a time, I hope..." Charlie replied, giving Edward and I a pointed look.

"Dad!" I shouted, "was there something you needed? Edward and I were just saying goodnight."

"No, no. Just seeing how you two kids were doing."

"Okay, well, we'd like to say goodnight." When Charlie didn't move to close the door, I added "alone, please."

"Fine. Five minutes." Charlie grunted, giving Edward and I one last look before turning around and closing the door.

"I'm sorry." I said immediately.

"Your dad kind of scares me. He brings his gun home with him, right?"

"He's fine. He's just being weird. I know he likes you, so he's just trying to scare you or have some fun or something. Ignore him."

"Okay, that's...good to know. I guess I should let you get going, then. I had a really nice time tonight, Bella. Regardless of crazy girls and intimidating dads."

"Good. I did too. Everything was just...perfect."

Edward smiled widely and I couldn't help myself. I reached up and kissed him, bracing myself on his biceps, which was quickly becoming one of my favorite places to touch him, loving the feeling of hard, lean muscle under my hands.

"Goodnight, Edward," I said once I had released my grasp on him and turned, opening the front door.

"Night, Bella."

0-0

"What the heck was that, Dad?" I asked as soon as I walked in. "Coming to the door, seriously?"

Charlie shrugged, sitting on the couch, trying to look innocent. "What, Bella? I just wanted to make sure you two kids had a good time."

"Yeah, right. You couldn't have waited until I actually got in the house? Instead of embarrassing me and scaring Edward?"

Charlie perked up. "Edward was scared? Why, did he have something to be scared about? Guilty conscious?"

"Dad!"

"I'm just giving you a hard time, Bells. What kind of dad would I be if I didn't? Anyways, glad you two had a good time, but not too good a time."

"Okayyy, I think that's my cue to leave. I'm going to bed. Night, dad." I walked over to him, giving him a kiss on the cheek before retreating upstairs to get ready for bed.

0-0

The next weeks were...interesting, to say the very least. I had basically spent the rest of the weekend after my first date with Edward worrying about school on Monday. I had put on a 'brave' front with Edward and Lauren, but now that I thought about it, what would she do?

Monday came too quickly for my liking. I hadn't voiced my concerns with Edward at all, or anyone else for that manner. I just hoped he would be prepared for whatever she could have in store.

Sadly, I wasn't proven otherwise. It seemed like everything in the school knew for sure about Edward and my date and the fact that we were together. The only reprieve from the strange looks and snickers was lunch in the library. Not many people hung out in there anyways and at least I was surrounded by friends. And Edward.

Lauren hadn't actually talked to me since Friday night, but I figured since she already informed the entire school, her work was done. Jessica hadn't spoken to me in Spanish and Rosalie now ignored me whenever we crossed paths, not even bothering to glance in my direction.

Edward and the girls had really become a lifeline to me. When I wasn't hanging out at Angela's house with Victoria or Angela after school, Edward and I were hanging out at the park or talking on the phone late into the night.

Regardless of all the bullshit at school, things were looking up.

"Hey, can we just stop by my locker real quick? I need to drop off my math book and get my bio book," I said, cleaning up the garbage from my lunch.

"Yeah, sure." Edward packed up his books, resting his hand on the small of my back to guide me out of the library.

As I'd become more aware of, there were plenty of people snickering and whispering as we walked down the hallway.

I wasn't quite sure what they were talking about, though. At this point, Edward and I had been 'public' for two weeks. At school, we always kept things chaste to the point of ridiculousness. We never held hands, except for brief moments in biology where he would reach over and squeeze my hand. Kissing was out of the question, although we had snuck in a quick peck in the library. When no one was looking. Behind rows and rows of books.

So to have people throwing us dirty looks and whispering made me want to simultaneously roll my eyes and cry.

"This sucks." I sighed turning the dial to unlock my locker.

"Just ignore them. They're jerks, Bella." Edward sighed right back, probably tired of my complaining. He was leaning against the locker next to mine, looking agitated.

"Yeah, I know. It's just-" As soon as I opened up my locker, a ton of stuff fell out of it.

"What the hell?" I wondered, bending down to see what it all was.

I felt my face heat up as I looked down at what I now saw were pamphlets and little packages, wordlessly handing them to Edward, who had knelt down to help me pick the mess up.

"Everything You Need To Know about...Chlamydia." Edward read aloud. I groaned, looking over to see his face turning beet red as well.

"So You Think You Might Be Pregnant, Teens and Pregnancy, Teens and Bulimia, Teen Girls and Body Image, A Girls Guide to Personal Hygiene." Edward continued reading the pamphlets, much to my embarrassment.

The embarrassment turned into complete mortification when I realized that there were condoms, dental dams, diaphragms and spermicide. All courtesy of Planned Parenthood.

"Fuck!" I yelled, standing up. Looking around, I saw that everyone near us was now watching, laughing and whispering.

Edward was still kneeling, now shoving everything he could into his messenger bag.

I stood there, watching as Edward finished cleaning up everything, my eyes darting up to see if the crowd had somewhat dispersed. They hadn't.

Finally, Edward stood, not looking around at his peers, his eyes locked on mine.

"Come on, let's go," Edward says, grabbing me by the crook of my arm. I quickly locked my locker, although I knew it's pointless; someone already knew the combination.

Edward was walking so fast, practically dragging me through the hall and towards the parking lot.

"Edward? Come on, I don't want to be late for class!"

He halts in front of his Volvo, causing me to bump into him. "Well, you don't have to worry about behind late for class, because we're ditching."

I scrunched my eyebrows, confused. "Ditching? Edward, you don't ditch. Neither do I, really. Come on, let's just go back to class. There's only three more periods left."

"Bella, are you planning on reporting what happened to your locker to a teacher or the principal?"

"Umm...no." I laughed, "Why would I do that? You _know _they would just use it as more ammo. I don't even know who did it. Do you think Jessica and Lauren would really stoop so low and actually go to the trouble of getting all that stuff?"

"Maybe...maybe this isn't just going to work out." Edward sighed, running a hand through his hair.

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. "You want to break up?"

Edwards eyes widened, then he pulled me into his arms, his head burrowed in my neck.

"No, Bella. Never. But you don't deserve this. Before me, you were popular, had friends. You weren't relentlessly teased like you are now."

I pulled back, making sure he was looking fully at me.

"Edward, I don't care. I want to be with you. Lauren and Jessica, I don't miss them. Maybe I miss how things seemed easier before, but it doesn't matter. I'm finally getting that. It's just you and me. Besides, I love our group of friends. Angela, Victoria, Ben and James. I get along with them so well. I can actually have an intelligent conversation with them. I'm...happy."

I could see Edwards internal battle going on behind his eyes. I didn't want him to doubt this or think I'd be better off without him in my life.

"Hey. Stop it." I punched him lightly in the arm, trying to lighten the situation. I brought my hand to rest on the back of his neck, pulling him down to kiss him.

It freaked me out when Edward retreated into himself like that, but I knew he was trying to be strong. I hoped that we could make it through the rest of this high school bullshit and come out of it unscathed and stronger than going in.

I looked up at the handsome boy in front of me, smiling. "So, where are we going to go?"

* * *

I really liked hearing all the songs that remind you of your time in high school. Keep sending them in.

Soo, Renee is still pregnant, although Bella hasn't really mentioned it lately. I suck at baby names. It would be awesome if you guys left your name selections (boy and girl cause we don't know what she's having yet) in a review or a PM, tweet, whatever. Once I have enough, I'll do a poll up on my profile so you guys can pick your favorite name for a boy and girl. Then, when the birth comes around, you'll find out the sex and the name. Exciting, right? Plus, you'll get credit for the name in whatever chapter it's revealed in (Renee still has four or so months left of pregnancy, so it's a while.)


	14. Chapter 14

Hey, everyone!

Big thanks to Tropical Sorbet for getting me to write. Also, a HUGE thanks to MzBionic for answering my plea for someone to beta this on facebook and getting it back to me so quickly.

* * *

"So, now are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked Edward, again.

He had been pretty quiet about what we were doing since we decided to ditch. I had assumed we would just go the park, but once we passed the exit on the US101, I knew that wasn't the case.

"You hungry?" Edward asked, ignoring my question. "I didn't eat that much at lunch."

"I guess I could eat. Hollow leg, remember?" I laughed. Edward had begun teasing me about the amount of food I could consume ever since our date at the Moonshine Lodge.

Edward pulled into Sully's Drive-In and turned to me. "So, cheeseburger with grilled onions, fries and a coke?"

I blushed. We, along with the rest of the group, had come here frequently and I had gotten the same thing each time .

"Umm... yeah. Maybe not the grilled onions, though," I added.

Wherever we were going, I hoped it involved kissing. Onion breath without mints sounded like a bad combination to get any kissing in.

Edward went inside, leaving the car stereo on. So, I absently flipped through his iPod before settling on the Postal Service. After a few minutes, Edward came back out, two paper bags and a cup caddy holding two drinks in hand.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?" I pouted, trying to give him my best puppy dog eyes.

"Bella. No. I mean, it's really not a big deal. In the beginning, I would have told you, but since you started incessantly asking, I'm just going to keep it to myself." Edward said, leaning over the center console to kiss my cheek. "Sorry, sweetheart."

It didn't escape my notice that Edward called me sweetheart. That was definitely a first but I didn't want to bring it up in case it wasn't on purpose.

"Fine." I huffed, pouting.

I didn't have to wait a long time, ten minutes later we were pulling up into one the of entrances of the Olympic National Park. After being greeted by the ranger, Edward parked near a small patch of grass.

"We can eat in the car, or I have a blanket in the back."

After I decided sitting outside was the better choice, Edward got the blanket for us to sit on while I grabbed the bags and headed out.

It was nice out, the sun was shining and the air just had a hint of chill to it.

Edward and I sat close together on the blanket, talking and eating.

"Thank you, Edward. For this. Really." I sighed, lying back on the blanket. "Things haven't really been that easy lately, huh?"

"Yeah. It's okay though. As long as you're still okay with facing the scrutiny of being with me, I'm okay."

I sat back up, taking Edwards hand in mine. "Hey, don't make it sound like I'm doing you a favor by being with you, okay? I hate it when you talk like that."

"I'm sorry, Bella. Let's just...enjoy the rest of the day. It's so peaceful here."

I nodded my head, agreeing.

Once we finished eating and our garbage was all picked up, I lay back against the blanket, pulling Edward by the sleeve to get him to lie beside me.

"You signed up for the SATs for next Saturday, right?" Edward asked, brushing a stray hair out of his face.

I groaned. Edward had been trying to get me to sign up to take the SATs with him since he found out that I had yet to even sign up for them.

"Yes, Edward. Saturday at 8 in the morning. Room 8. I'll be there."

Edward smiled. "Good."

"I don't even want to think about college. We still have a year of school left."

"I know, Bella." Edward replied. "Let's talk about something fun, instead. How about we go out tomorrow night, celebrate the end of the SATs. I'm sick of studying for them."

I turned to him, a big smile on my face. "Sounds good. In the meantime, it's kind of cold out here; I could use some warming up."

Resting on my elbow, I leaned over to kiss Edward. It started innocently enough, but turned more intense when Edward scooted towards me, cupping my face with both his hands.

After a couple of minutes, one of Edwards hands left my face and began slowly trailing down my neck, arms, sides, briefly stopping at my hips, leaving a trail of goose bumps down my body.

I thought I would burst with surprise when Edwards hand continued down my thigh, right above the back of my knee and hitched it over his own leg, causing me to almost groan at the feeling of him being so close.

Edward and I had never been so forward with each other before and it was hard to remember that we were outside, in public, in broad daylight no less.

As much as I enjoyed Edwards hand on my thigh and his lips on mine, I knew we had to stop. Not that I was worried about this continuing any further, but Charlie knew a lot of people, and the last thing I needed was someone recognizing us then telling Charlie.

"Edward," I said, pulling away from him. "We should stop."

Breathing hard, Edward pulled away from me, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Bella. I shouldn't have just... attacked you like that. How rude of me."

I laughed, loudly. "Believe me, I don't mind if you do that. We're just... in public. Next time, let's save it for indoors."

"Oh, right." Edward grinned and leaned forward, pecking my lips before standing and holding his hand out to help me up. "Come on, we should get going. School will be over soon and we need to get back to your truck.

0-0

Luckily, Charlie never seemed to find out that I skipped the rest of class that day. It might have helped that as soon as I got home, I disconnected the land line we had in the living room so that the automated call wouldn't come.

The following morning, Edward called me on my cell at 6:30 to make sure I was awake. Like I wasn't capable enough to wake up on my own.

I sleepily showered and dressed in comfy clothes then went downstairs, graciously accepting the toast and travel mug of coffee Charlie handed me.

I ate the toast while I waited for Edward to come pick me up, knowing he would hate for me to eat something so crumby in his car, although he wouldn't actually say otherwise.

Edward arrived at promptly 7:30, parked and actually came up to my door to get me. After being wished luck by my dad, we headed off to school.

"Nervous?" I asked, noticing how Edward's fingers were constantly drumming on the steering wheel.

Edward looked over to me and followed my eyes to where his hands were and abruptly stopped his fidgeting. "Yeah. Sorry. It's just, kind of a big deal to me. My parents want me to do well and to get into a good school. They had a tutor for me back in Chicago that I had been seeing once a week since Freshman year."

"Wow, so no pressure or anything, right?" I joked.

Edward scoffed, not looking amused at my attempt at humor. "No. Not really."

"You'll do fine, Edward." I couldn't really think of anything better to say than that. Edward was smart; I doubt he had anything to worry about. Besides, if he didn't do so great this time, he could do it again. I couldn't imagine having so much pressure on me. Charlie expected me to pass my classes with at least a C, which wasn't a problem. Renee had never put any emphasis on grades and school. She hadn't gone to college and never really brought up me going, so I was pretty sure that she didn't have any money saved up for me to go.

Edward just reached over and grabbed my hand from my lap, squeezing is lightly as he continued driving towards school.

Four stressful hours and a few hand cramps later, we were done with the SATs. Freaking finally. I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go home and catch a quick nap until I went over to Edward's house later in the evening.

0-0

After taking a much needed nap for a few hours, I woke up to the chiming of my phone.

_How about take-out and some tv watching at my house?_

I grinned at the message. As much as I enjoyed going out on a proper date with Edward, relaxing at his house seemed very appealing at the moment

I texted him back, letting him know I liked the change in plan and asked if Chinese was okay.

Once Edward agreed to Chinese, I let him know I would pick it up on the way there. Due to many nights of Chinese take-out with the group, I didn't need to ask what he wanted. It was always the same; vegetable chow mein and orange chicken.

I still had a couple hours to kill. So, after a quick shower, I decided to do what I had been putting off since Edward and I had started officially going out. Telling my mother.

"Hello?" Phil greeted me.

"Hey, Phil, it's Bella. Is my mom there?" I asked, briefly wondering why he was answering her cell phone.

"Yeah, let me get her for you. She's doing some pregnancy yoga dvd of hers."

"Renee!" Phil called out, his mouth too close to the receiver.

I cringed, mentally laughing as I heard Phil's foot steps and my mom come into hearing range.

"What is it, Phil? I'm trying to meditate here."

"Bella."

My mom let out a high pitched noise and then there was a rustling sound as she got on the phone.

Once on the phone, Renee talked. And talked. About the baby, Phil's job and her back pains. When she began to talk about how her neighbors were out of town and wanted her to water their house plants, I intervened.

"Hey, Mom? There was actually a reason I called today."

"Oh, there was? What exactly was the reason, sweetie?" I knew from the hopeful tone to her voice that she probably thought I had decided to move to Jacksonville.

"Well, you remember the guy I told you about, Edward?"

"Oh, yes, Bella. I do. First boy I've known about to get you all flustered. "

"Well, we worked things out and now we're together." I paused, waiting for her reaction, and I wasn't disappointed.

"Bella! That's wonderful. I knew you two would come around. You're such a good girl; he'd be an idiot if he didn't see that."

I wanted to argue with her, tell her that she had it backwards. Edward was a good guy. A really good guy. I still wasn't sure if I deserved him, much like he thought I felt burdened by him.

After that, I let Renee take charge of the conversation once more. She wanted to know all the details, about our first date, how Charlie took the news and if we had had our first kiss yet.

When she started to give me the talk, I cut her off.

"Mom! I am well aware of the consequences of teenage pregnancy and the risks of unprotected sex." I exclaimed, feeling my entire face and ears flush. I really had no desire to have my mother school me on diaphragms.

"You're still on the pill though, right?"

I sighed. "Yes, mom."

I had been on the pill since I was sixteen, not only did Renee feel 'safer' having me on it, I also liked that I didn't have killer cramps anymore.

"Okay, okay. I just want you to be safe."

The conversation dwindled down after that and Renee said she had to get off the phone, saying she needed a bathroom break.

I filled up the rest of the afternoon doing homework, eager to pass the time until I went to Edwards.

0-0

Not soon enough, I was pulling up to Edward's house, food in hand.

"Hey," Edward greeted me at the door, taking the bag of food from me.

I followed Edward through the living room, stopping to greet his parents who were sitting in there.

"Hello, dear." Esme said, looking at me over the Better Homes and Gardens she was reading.

"Hey," Carlisle smiled at me, thumbing through the book he was holding.

"Hi, Esme. Hey, Carlisle."

At first, I had referred to them as Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, feeling like I had to be formal around them. Both of them squashed the formalities, though it still felt slightly awkward, especially since my own father never corrected Edward when he called him Sir or Chief.

In the kitchen, I hopped up on one of the bar stools, watching as Edward headed towards the fridge.

"I thought we'd grab a soda or water and eat in the tv room." Edward held out a can of coke and bottled water in each hand.

"Sounds good." I took the can of coke from Edward, tapping gently on the top of the can.

"Carton or plate?" He asked, referring to what we would eat it from.

"Carton. No dishes afterwards."

Edward gave me one of his goofy smiles and picked everything up, taking it to the tv room.

When we walked past the living room again, his parents were gone. Noticing my surprised look, Edward explained.

"They wanted to give us some... private time. I told them it wasn't necessary, but they insisted."

"They didn't have to leave because of us." I sputtered; slightly mortified at the thought of his parents thinking we were doing something that would require such privacy.

Edward shrugged. "They didn't leave or anything, they're just upstairs in their room."

I nodded in understanding. Although I had never seen his parents' room, Edward told me that it was basically like a small studio apartment, just minus the kitchen. They had a sitting area and tv they could watch.

Settling down on the over sized couch in the tv room, Edward flipped through the channels until we agreed on a paranormal show about Bigfoot.

"That is so fake!" I exclaimed through bites of chicken.

Edward laughed. "Come on, Bella. These guys are just trying to get in their fifteen minutes. Of course it's fake."

"Yeah, but it still doesn't mean that Bigfoot doesn't exist."

Edward froze, turning around to face me. "You think Bigfoot is real?"

I could tell he was trying really hard not to burst out laughing.

"I'm not saying he is and I'm not saying he isn't." I crossed my arms over my chest; acting more annoyed at how humorous this was to him, than I actually was.

Edward's laughter erupted. I started to actually get pretty annoyed. I didn't say that I thought we should head down to California and started looking for the damned thing. I just meant that there could be a possibility.

I wanted to shut him up from his laughing, so instead of slapping a hand over his mouth, I leaned forward and kissed him.

Edward had been mid-laugh when I kissed him, so his lips were slightly parted. Feeling bold and in the privacy of his own house, I used his opened mouth to my advantage and ran my tongue across his bottom lip before gently flicking it against the tip of his own tongue.

Edward seemed to really come alive then, alternating between sucking on my bottom lip and letting his tongue tease mine.

We were facing each other on the couch, his hands on my hips, but I needed to be closer.

In another uncharacteristically bold move, I pushed him back against the couch by his shoulders and hitched one of my legs over both of his, effectively straddling his lap.

Edward froze, clearly not expecting this turn of events.

Leaning forward to kiss him again, I banged my face into his glasses, causing us both to wince.

"Oops, sorry." I said, taking his glasses off and leaning back, putting them onto the coffee table.

This time, I was able to fully kiss Edward. Soon enough, he was enthusiastically responding, his hands gripping firmly on my hips, squeezing me.

In the background, I was vaguely aware of my phone ringing.

"Bella," Edward groaned in between kisses. "Phone."

"They'll go away. This is more fun." Truth be told, I really could give a damn about my phone ringing. Who would even be calling me?

I wasn't quite sure what Edward and I were doing. Obviously, we both weren't ready for sex. I think. Judging by how Edward's hands kept me firmly in place on his lap, right before his...crotch area, I figured he wasn't either.

"Bellaaa," Edward groaned, pulling his lips from mine. "This is the third time your phone has rang. I think you should answer it."

Leaning back further, I pouted. "Am I really that bad of a kisser that you'll use any old excuse?"

"Hush, you know that's not true." Edward handed me my ringing phone, kissing my nose.

Still situated on his lap, I answered, not bothering to see who it was.

"What?" I said, still frustrated at the interruption.

"Bella? It's me, Emmett."

"Oh, uh...hey, Emmett." I replied. Emmett and I had each others numbers, but we weren't exactly friends. It was probably the first time he had called me.

"Is Rosie with you?"

"Rose? No. She isn't. Why? Is something wrong?" I ask, starting to feel panic.

"No, well. I'm not sure. She's called me a few times, drunk and upset."

I racked my brain, trying to think of where she could be. "I think there's a party going on tonight. She's probably with Lauren and Jess."

"Can you do me a huge, huge favor, Bella? Rose is asking me to come pick her up, she wants to go home, but she drove there. I really don't want her to do anything stupid."

I sighed, really not wanting to get involved. "Emmett, I'm sure that someone else there is sober and will drive her, otherwise she'll probably end up just crashing there."

"Bella, please? She's been... sad, lately. I can't just drive over there. You're her best friend, Bella. Please?"

I could feel my resolve wavering. "Hang on, Emmett."

I pulled my phone away from me to talk to Edward.

"It's Emmett, Rose's boyfriend. He needs us to go pick up Rose from a party."

"Okay, let's go." Edward replied without hesitation.

"Are you sure? It's at Tyler's. I can go by myself; I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"No. It's fine. Tell him we'll go get her."

"Emmett?"

"Yeah, Bella. Are you with a guy? Is it that Edwin guy?"

I blushed. "I'm with Edward."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cock block you guys," Emmett laughed.

"Shut up. And no, you didn't do... that." Not by much, at least.

"Sure, sure. Oh, hey. Shit. Rosie's calling me again. I better take it. Thanks, Bella. I owe you one."

After hanging up with Emmett, I extracted myself from Edwards lap and stood, straightening out my clothes.

"Last chance to back out, Edward." I gave him a pointed look, holding my hand out to him from where he sat on the couch.

Taking it in his, he stood, pulling himself to me.

"I'm going, Bella. Unless you don't want me to."

"Okay. Let's go."

We drove in Edward's Volvo to Tyler's, even though it was well within walking distance. Who knew what kind of state we would find Rose in when we got there.

Edward parked alongside the house and we got out, going up the front steps of the house.

At the same time I reached for the doorknob, Edwards hand reached out to ring the bell.

"Really, Edward? We can just walk in." I said, grabbing his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I've never been to a high school party. I'm not sure what to expect."

I laughed. "Really, you aren't missing anything. A bunch of drunken girls and horny guys."

Clutching Edward's hand, I opened the door and began looking for Rosalie. Luckily for us, no one was really paying attention, but we did get a few strange looks.

"Hey, have you seen Rose?" I asked a sophomore girl, who was leaning against a wall.

"She's out back." The girl responded, gesturing to the backyard.

We found Rose, alone, sitting in a patio chair, clutching a drink to her chest.

"I'll be right back," I said to Edward, kissing his cheek.

"Rose?" I called, going to stand by her.

"Bella!" Rose yelled, standing up quickly and throwing her arms open, causing the cup she was holding to slip from her hand and fall; the liquid splashing down the front of her clothes.

"Shit. Fuck." She yelled, looking down at her wet clothes.

"It's okay, Rose. I think we've had enough fun for the night. Come on, let's get you home."

"Bella!" Rose yelled again, stumbling forward to hug me. "I missed you. So, so much."

"Wow, Rose. How much have you had to drink?" I asked, buckling under her weight.

"You are so nice, Bella. Why were we fighting? You're my best friend. I miss you."

"Yeah. Let's get you home." I said to her, adjusting how we were standing so she was leaning against my side.

"Edward? Could you help her walk?"

"Edward's here? Your boyfriend?" Rose asked, looking surprised. "Edward!"

"Um, hey, Rose. How are you?" Edward asked, cringing.

"I'm gggreeeat!"

"Yeah, yeah. Everything is just peachy. Come on, let me get your car keys."

"They're in my pocket." Rose slurred. "But I want Edward here to get them. He's kinda hot, you know. In that geeky way."

I turned to Edward, giving him an exasperated look, only to see his ears turn bright red.

Rolling my eyes, I patted Rose's pockets, taking out the keys.

"Yeah, Edward. Blonde hair and big boobs. I get it. Let's just get to her car and I'll drive to her house. Could you follow us there?"

"Sure," Edward said, wrapping an arm around Rose's waist, helping me to support her as we walked her through the house and out to the street.

"Wait, Rose. Where's your car?" I asked, scanning the nearly empty street.

"It's down. That way." Rose pointed down the street, to where I could see the shine of the streetlight against her car.

"Let's drive to it. She's kind of heavy." Edward said, leading her towards her car.

"Are you calling me fat?" Rose shrieked. "I am not fat."

"No, Rose. You aren't fat," I quickly said. I knew that if she ran with that thought, we would never hear the end of it.

I climbed in to the back seat after Rose as Edward got the car started.

"Ugh. I don't feel so good, Bella." She groaned, holding her stomach.

"It's okay, Rose. We'll get you home soon." I comforted her, rubbing her back.

It took us all of two seconds to drive to her car. As I was getting out, she suddenly lurched forward, gagging as she threw up on the floor of his car.

"My car." Edward groaned, banging his head on the door.

"Whoa. Okay. Let's get you out."

I held Rose's hair back as she continued throwing up into a patch of grass.

When I deemed that Rose had emptied her stomach, at least for now, I unlocked her car and got her in the passenger seat.

"Edward, I am so, so sorry." I said, going over to him and wrapping my arms around his waist. "I'll clean it up for you."

"It's fine." Edward assured me, although I could tell it really wasn't fine. "I'll follow behind you, okay?"

"Okay."

When I got in the car, Rose was slumped to the side, her head resting against the window.

Edward followed us to Rose's house, helping me to get her up the front step while I rummaged through her keys to find the one for the front door.

"I'll be right back. I'm just going to get her to bed."

"Bye, Edward," Rose said, squeezing him. "It was really nice to meet you."  
"You, too." Edward replied, then turned to me. "I'll be in the car.''

Rose stumbled her way to her room, kicking off her shoes and dropping her jacket along the way. I trailed behind her, picking up her discarded clothes so her parents didn't get suspicious of anything.

When we got to her bedroom, I got out pajamas for her from the dresser and headed towards the kitchen while Rose changed.

I grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and a couple Motrin from the bathroom medicine cabinet to leave by her bed.

She was already in bed and under the covers when I returned.  
"Here. Drink some water," I said, handing her the bottle.

She sat up a bit to drink, then handed it back to me.

"Okay. You're all set. So, uh, I'm going. Goodnight."

"Bella, don't go. Stay and hang out."

"Rose, I'm not staying. Edward's waiting for me," I explained, hovering by the door.

"I'm sorry, Bella. Don't be mad at me. I promise I thought I was helping."

"What are you even talking about?" I sighed.

"Telling the girls. I thought if I told them, then everything would be okay and you wouldn't have to be embarrassed. I didn't think they would be such bitches about it."

"You thought you were helping me? You do realize that's ridiculous. You put me, Edward and our friends in a shitty situation.

"I didn't mean to!" She cried.

"Yeah. Well, besides that, you're still hanging out with them. You can't be that sorry. I really have to go. I'll see you at school."

Not waiting for her response, I left her room and quickly walked through the house, eager to be back with Edward.

0-0

Edward was sitting in his car with all the windows down, probably trying to air out the stench..

"Hey," he smiled.

I leaned over across the center console to kiss him.

"What was that for?"

"For being an amazing boyfriend. Thank you. I promise to clean up the puke when we get back to your house."

"Don't worry about it." Edward said. "I cleaned up some of it while I was waiting. I'll just pull out the floor mat and hose it off. Maybe buy some air fresheners too."

"Really, though. You have no reason to like Rosalie or want to help her."

"She's your friend. Even if you guys aren't speaking now. That's reason enough for me."

"Thanks. Oh! I should call Emmett and let him know she's okay."

0-0

Monday morning rolled around all too soon. The rest of Saturday night had basically been a failure. After we got back to Edwards, whatever semblance of a mood we had. before Emmett's call, was gone.

Emmett, on the other hand was extremely grateful that we had gone to get Rosalie and that she was perfectly safe and sleeping.

I, along with the rest of the group was in the library, like any other lunchtime. My back was to the aisle, so I couldn't see the comings and goings of people, but I knew it must have been someone exciting, judging by the reactions of Angela and Victoria.

"Hey, guys."

Edward and I turned around to see Rose standing there, fiddling with the strap of her book bag nervously. Her appearance was a complete one-eighty from the last time I saw her. Today, her make-up was perfectly done, her outfit pristine and her hair perfectly styled in waves framing her face.

"Hi." Angela replied, smiling. "Do you want to sit?" She asked, earning a scowl from Victoria.

"Oh. No thanks, I was just wondering if I could borrow Bella for a minute?"

"Sure. I guess." I turned back to the group. "I'll be right back."

I left my stuff behind, following Rose out of the library and into the hallway.

"I just wanted to say thank you. For coming to get me and taking care of me Saturday night."

I waved my hand. "It's fine, Rose. Emmett was freaked out and begged me to come get you. I just did him a favor."

"Still," Rose insisted, "I woke up Sunday morning, panicking, not remembering what happened the night before. I ran outside and saw my car there, I thought I had driven home. I called Emmett in tears and he explained to me what happened."

"Rose. Seriously. It's not a big deal. You needed help, I was there."

"I don't deserve your help. I've been a bitch. I just wanted to say thank you and I am so, so sorry for how I acted. And I just want us to be friends again." She tucked her hair behind her ear, looking down. I had rarely ever seen Rose look so calm and subdued. So unlike the confident girl everyone else saw.

"I really appreciate that, Rose. But I can't. Not yet. I'm being treated like some sort of social leper because you went and blabbed about my private business."

"Okay. I get it. Do you mind telling Edward I said thanks? Em told me he helped out as well."  
"Yeah, Rose. I should get back to them. Lunch is almost over."

Rose looked over at the clock on the wall. "Okay. I'll see you around, then?"

"Yeah. You will." I shrugged, noncommittally. We _did_ go to school together.

"Great." Rose smiled, her face lighting up.

I walked away from Rose, back to the library, feeling a little more lighter than I had in weeks.

* * *

Remember, I'm still looking for songs that remind you of high school, as well as both boy and girl baby names!


	15. Chapter 15

Another update in less than 2 weeks? Yeah, I know. Consider it my present to all of you for sticking around with me for so long. If you want to see the girls dresses, you can check out my blog (link on profile.)

Thanks Tropical Sorbet for looking this over for me and telling me it doesn't suck.

* * *

The next few weeks passed quickly. Rosalie and I still weren't exactly best friends again, but when I saw her in the hallways during passing period, I would give her a slight smile or nod.

By the beginning of May, the Spirit Committee announced our schools Prom theme, Monte Carlo. The school was buzzing with excitement, apparently, the committee was able to book the Elks Lodge for the event.

"So, are you guys going to prom next weekend?" Victoria asked Angela and Ben. It was Friday night and we were all lounging in Edwards entertainment room, eating pizza..

Angela scrunched her nose, looking at Ben. "No, I don't think so. It's not really our thing. Plus, with you guys not going, we won't have any friends there."

"Believe me, you guys do not need to be subjected to my dancing skills. Or lack thereof." Since Forks high was such a small school, both the Junior and Senior proms were combined. Underclassmen were allowed to attend if they came with an upperclassmen date as were students outside of the school, as long as they completed a permission form.

"Let's have our own prom instead." Victoria suggested.

"What are you talking about, Babe?" James asked, grabbing another slice of pizza. I could tell he didn't seem too enthused about the her proposal.

"You know, we dress up and have our own little party at someones house. It will be like the anti-prom, prom."

I shrugged, looking over to Edward who also shrugged. "We could have it here."

"Really?" Victoria asked, excitedly. "That's awesome. What do you say, Ang?"

"Sounds a lot more fun that drinking spiked punch at the Elks Lodge with bunch of people I'm not friends with."

"Awesome! How does dress shopping tomorrow sound? We could go to Port Angeles."

"We don't have to rent tuxes, right? I mean, this isn't really prom," James whined.

"No. Just dress nice. Slacks and a button down." Angela assured the guys.

0-0

That's how Angela, Victoria and I ended up spending Saturday morning in Port Angeles, going from shop to shop in search of the perfect dress.

Three hours later, we were starving and each carrying our own garment bag with our dress in it.

We decided to stop by a little deli to eat at before we headed back home.

"Gah. I can't believe you're graduating next month and leaving in the next few!" Angela said in between bites of her sandwich.

"Shut up, Bella. Don't remind me. I'm going to become such a mess when we get to finals. As excited I am to move to Boston and go to school with Ben, I can't believe I'm leaving Forks."

"But there's lots of chances to come back and visit. When you think about it, Thanksgiving won't be that far away.." Victoria assured her.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry for getting all emo on you guys." Angela waved her hands, changing the subject. "Let's plan our anti-prom more."  
With that, we went into planning mode, putting end of the school year worries behind us.

0-0

"Goodnight to you too, Bella. Sweet dreams."

Sighing, I ended the phone call, setting my cell on my nightstand. Edward and I had began a tradition of ending our days with either texting or calling each other and talking for about an hour. Each night, he ended the phone call the same way, causing me to fall asleep with a smile on my face.

I think I was falling in love with him.

Even from the beginning, I had began to think of Edward as my best friend. This solidified during our nightly talks where I would learn all about him; from what he ate for breakfast to his life back in Chicago.

Part of me was terrified of the intense feelings I felt towards him, worried that we were still Juniors in high school and that it was possible he didn't feel the same about me.

There was also the fact that my parents were not the picture of a perfect marriage. Everything had been wrong with them. They had me too young, married too young and in the end, discovered they were all wrong for each other.

I hated those thoughts. I convinced myself that for now, I was content with the sweet words that were the last thing I heard before I fell asleep.

0-0

"Morning, Bells. Sleep good?" My dad asked me as I went into the kitchen the next morning.

"Yeah. You're up early for your day off," I noted.

He grunted. "You know I'm bad at sleeping late. Anyways," Charlie changed the subject. "Do you have any plans for the evening?"

"Um, no. I think Edward wanted to come hang out and do homework, but that's it. Why?"

"Do you mind watching Jacob for a little while? Billy and I want to get in some fishing this evening. But you know Jake. Kid has so much energy, he'll scare all the fish away."

I laughed, well aware that there had been more than one occasion where Charlie and Billy had come back empty handed due to Jacob. "No problem. I'm sure Edward won't mind him here."

"Great. I'll give you a twenty or something for it. I uh, I kinda already told Jacob you could come over. He's real excited."

"You don't have to pay me to watch Jacob, Dad. He's a cool kid. It's really not an issue." I smiled reassuringly. "But, I should called Edward to let him know the change of plans."

0-0

A few hours later, Edward came to my house. When I had called and told him that I would have to babysit later in the day, he wanted to cancel our plans, saying that he thought Jacob would probably want to hang out with me alone.

After a little persuasion, insisting that Jake wouldn't mind at all, he caved.

"Hey!" I greeted Edward, after throwing the front door open and giving him a quick kiss.

"Hey. He here yet?" Edward asked, following me to the living room where he dropped his backpack on the couch.

"Nope. Charlie should be back with him and Billy any time now, though."

We settled down on the living room floor, sitting cross-legged next to each at the coffee table.

It was difficult focusing on anything with Edward sitting next to me, so close. The house was completely silent except for the sounds of pages turning and the scratch of pencil on paper.

Ever since our relationship had become more physical, I found it increasingly harder to not just jump him. And here, home alone, it would be so, so easy to do just that.

Although Edward seemed to enjoy making out and kissing, he never initiated anything more than an innocent kiss, which frustrated me and left me feeling like some desperate girl falling all over her boyfriend.

Before I could continue down the path of my negative, nagging thoughts, Edward spoke up. "Are you sure you want me to be here? I could just go home and hang out."

"Edward, it's fine. Jacob is a cool kid. It isn't even like babysitting. I pop in a movie, we play with his Star Wars toys, and I make mac and cheese and hot dogs for dinner."

Edward sighed. "Okay, Bella. Kids just don't really seem to like me."

"Well, I like you." I leaned over to kiss him, stopping when I heard a car pull in the driveway.

I got up and walked over to peer out the window, watching as Jake leaped out of the back of the car with a backpack, waving frantically at Charlie and Billy as they pulled out of the driveway.

As usual, Jake didn't even bother knocking; instead just barging through the front door.

"Hey, Bella!" Jacob exclaimed, tossing his backpack down.

"Hi, Jake!" I couldn't help but smile back, his energy being contagious.

Jake beamed up at me as I ruffled his hair, then looked past me; noticing Edward standing awkwardly behind me.

"Oh! Jake, this is Edward. Edward, this is Jake." I watched as Edward took a few steps forward and extended his hand to Jacob.

"Hey, man. It's nice to meet you. Bella says you like Star Wars? Me too."

I looked at Edward, almost in awe. How could he say kids didn't like him? He seemed like a natural at it to me.

Jake didn't take Edwards hand to shake. Instead, Edward was left awkwardly holding it out as Jake just stared at it. Weird...

"Is he gonna be staying, Bella?" Jake asked, turning to me.

"Well, yeah. I mean, if that's okay with you?" I turned around enough to see the uncomfortable look Edward had on his face and reached to grab his hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. I had no idea why Jake was acting so strangely.

"He's your boyfriend?" Jake asked, noticing our clasped hands. I couldn't help but smile as Edwards thumb brushed against the back of my hand. "Yeah, he is."

"Well, I don't like it." Jake huffed, folding his arms across his chest and turning away from us to go sit in the living room.

My mouth fell open as I watched Jake stalk away. Once he was sitting on the couch, I turned around to look at Edward and saw that he had a smug look on his face.

"I don't know what just happened."

"Kid's don't like me. Told you so." Edward smirked, causing me to smack him gently in the stomach.

"Hang on, I'm going to talk to him. Will you get the Capri Sun and the Goldfish?"

Edward nodded and left me alone to figure out what was Jacobs problem.

"Hey, Jake. What was up with you and Edward?" I asked, sitting down on the couch besides Jake, who was sitting with his arms crossed.

"I don't like him," he huffed.

"Why not? Edward didn't do anything wrong."

"I don't wanna say."

"Well, I want to know. Edward is important to me. You're my buddy. I want you two to get along." I tried to explain.

"It's just that, um..." Jacob began, his face tinging pink.

"Yes...?"

"Dad said that we were gonna get married!" Jacob blurted out.

I stared at Jacob in shock, but jolted in my seat when I heard a loud crash in the kitchen.

"Billy, I mean, your dad said that you and I are going to get married?" I repeated, processing the words. "Are you sure?"

Jacob nodded vigorously. "Yeah! Last week when Charlie was at our house, Dad said that we were gonna get married one day. Then Charlie said that we would have to wait a long time because I'm only 7 and you're old, but he said it was okay because I was a good kid."

"Oh, Jake." I said, fighting back a laugh. "I'm sure they were just joking around. You know how our dad's like to joke a lot."

"I don't know. That's not a funny joke." Jake said, scrunching his face up.

"I know. Adults can be weird."

"Are you and Edward cool then? We're both way to young to think about getting married. Besides, I bet you'll meet and awesome girl when you get older and you won't want to marry me anymore."

"Yeah. I guess so. I just didn't like you with Edward because I thought you were supposed to be mine and Rachel got mad and cried when her boyfriend was hanging out with another girl."

"Um..well." I trailed off, unsure about what to say. Before Edward came along, Charlie had mentioned once about Rachel's longtime boyfriend being caught with another girl. At the time, Charlie had used it as a sort of scare tactic to keep me away from boys a little while longer.

"That's different though, Jake. Rachel was going out with that guy. You and I are just really good buddies. Okay?"

Jake nodded, a serious look on his face. "Makes sense."

"And you'll be nice to Edward from now on?"

"Yeah." Jacob looked sheepish. "He's not mad at me, right?"

I shook my head. "No way. Let's go to the kitchen, kid. There's a snack with your name on it waiting for you."

0-0

The school week went by annoyingly slow. With prom being just a few days, it seemed like there was drama going on all over the place. People were breaking up, girls were fighting over getting the same dress and people were already talking about hotel rooms and after parties.

Jacob had fallen asleep a few hours into us watching him on Sunday, during which we did a little planning on how our own anti-prom prom would go.

Later that night, after Jacob and Edward went home and I had given my dad a hard time about him and Billy putting those thoughts into Jake's head, I IM'd with Victoria and Angela, doing a little planning as well.

While everyone was looking forward to a crazy prom night, I was looking forward to a fun night with the people I now considered my best friends.

0-0

"Are you sure this dress looks okay on me?" I asked, tugging the top of my black and turquoise, strapless bandage dress up while simultaneously trying to pull it down past my thighs.

"Shut up, Bella. You look hot. Edward has never seen you in anything other than jeans a t-shirts. He's going to die when he sees you in this." We were at my house, getting ready to go over to Edwards for our little party.

I rolled my eyes. "Right, Victoria. I'm sure you'll have James drooling all over you in that dress." Victoria's dress was a skin tight, black, racer back dress with sequins and studs on the front of it.

"I know, right? That's kind of what I'm going for." Victoria wiggled her eyebrows. Angela let out a loud, bark like laugh and slapped her hand over her mouth, her face red with laughter and embarrassment.

"Oh, come on. The Reverends daughter and the Police Chief's daughter need a little corruption. Although, I would say Bella here needs a bit more than you, Ang."

"Wait, what? Angela, are you not a..." I trailed off, feeling intrusive about what I wanted to ask. "Virgin?"

Angela shook her head, blushing. "No." At seeing my shocked face, she laughed. "Bella, Ben and I have been together for a long time. We're going to school together. Just because my father's the Reverend doesn't mean I believe in everything he preaches."

"I just...I'm the only virgin left at Forks, aren't I?" I groaned, figuring out how to sit down in my dress.

"Maybe. Well, besides Edward." Victoria added. In return, I threw her a dirty look.

"Seriously, Bella. You were friends with skanks before us. Not everyone is having sex. Angela and I have been with our guys for a while. We love them. It's natural for a relationship to turn more physical.."

"Natural for you guys, maybe." I muttered.

"What do you mean?" Angela asked, sitting down besides me.

"God, this is so embarrassing. I don't think Edward likes me...like that. I mean, we kiss and make out and whatever, but that's it."

"So, no second base?" Victoria prompted me.

"Not really." I thought for a moment. "Well, kinda this one time. But I think it was an accident, because he moved his hand away so fast you think he got burnt."

"I'm sure there's a reason," Angela tried to assure me.

"Yeah, I'm repulsive."

"No you aren't. Guys are just weird. I mean, really. James does shit all the time that I don't get and sometimes we fight over the stupidest stuff, or he'll do something really idiotic and I'll be like 'why did you do that?' It's just how guys are, Bella."

Victoria walked over to my bedroom mirror, applying a bright red lipstick, then smacking her lips together. "I don't have very good advice, James and I pretty much said to hell with any form of dating etiquette. I mean, this is high school. Actually, I'm pretty sure I have the same advice to give you as your two STD infested ex-friends would have."

I laughed. "And what would that be?"

"Just go for what you want. Edward would be an idiot and an anomaly of the teenage male race to shoot down your boob in his hand."

"Okay. This is getting a little awkward." I laughed, standing back up. "But thanks, you guys. I'll try something."

"Good. Okay, Angela. You still have to get into your dress." Victoria said, taking the dress out of my closet.

Angela's dress was a pretty ruby red with an empire waist and straps that crisscrossed in the back. The top part sparkled with sequins and the skirt part was a shiny satin.

Once we were all dressed and had our shoes on, we looked over ourselves in the mirror, causing all of us to be momentarily stunned by our appearance.

"Damn. We look hot!" Victoria exclaimed, causing us to all burst out laughing.

My dad was watching TV downstairs, but came to stand by the staircase as we came down, a camera in hand.

"You guys look great. You sure don't want to go to the prom."

Victoria shook her head. "No way, Mr. Swan. We've put a lot of work into this little shindig."

"You're staying over at Angela's afterward, right?" Charlie asked, turning to me.

"Yes."

"No drugs or alcohol?"

"No."

"Are you going to put a sweater or some tights on? That dress is kind of...small."

"Oh, my God. No!"

"No boys staying the night?"

"Dad! We're going to Angela's. I'm pretty sure Reverend Weber wouldn't allow that."

"Just checking, Bells. Alright. How about a few pictures and then you kids can go on your way."

I groaned. "Since when did you care about taking pictures?"

"Since your mother has been calling me and making sure that I take some to send to her." Charlie sighed. "Alright, line up and we'll do this."

0-0

The three of us drove over to Edwards, crammed together in my truck. I felt nerves begin to bubble up in my stomach. It was silly. We weren't going to the actual prom. We were just going to Edwards to eat and hang out, like any other Saturday night. Except this time, we were dressing up.

I pulled up to Edwards house and shut off the truck, watching as Victoria and Angela hurried excitedly out of the car.

"Come on, Bella!" Angela yelled, waving her arm for me to follow. "Lets go!"

I grinned, momentarily swallowing the stupid butterflies in my stomach down and taking a deep breath.

Victoria and Angela were already at the door, ringing the bell.

"Oh, girls! You look beautiful. Come in, come in." Esme greeted us upon opening the door.

Victoria and Angela went in ahead of me and I was about to follow behind when Esme stopped me. "Bella, you look gorgeous," she said, wrapping me in a hug. "Edward was so nervous. Silly boy," she whispered in my ear.

"Oh, thank you." I blushed, looking down at my dress.

"Anyways, come in! I shouldn't be hogging you out in the foyer."

Esme gave me a small push towards the entertainment room, which had been transformed into something that rivaled whatever the Forks Prom Committee had up their sleeves.

All the furniture was pushed against the wall with a large collapsible table in one corner, which had an assortment of finger food and drinks on it.

The lights had been replaced with softer colored ones and there was music playing in the background.

The two other couples were already seated on one of the couches, talking and eating. Both girls were wearing corsages around their wrists.

Edward wasn't in the room yet, so I decided to go upstairs to look for him.

Still feeling awkward in my heels, I carefully walked up the steps, letting out a little yelp when I came face to face with Edward at the top of the landing, nearly losing my footing and falling backwards.

"Woah," Edward said, grabbing me by my waist to balance me before I started flailing my arms around.

"Phew. Thanks." I smiled. "I was just coming to look for you."

"Sorry. I was down there, but I forgot something in my room and had to come back up and get it." Edward rubbed the back of his neck, looking nervous.

"So, where is it?" I asked, noticing his hands were empty.

"It's still in my room. I thought I heard someone coming upstairs. I figured it would be you."

Edward grabbed my hand and led me to his room.

I sat down on his bed while he fumbled around with something on his desk, taking the time to admire how he looked. His hair still had that uncombed look, but he was wearing charcoal grey slacks and a white button down shirt with the top two buttons undone.

Holding something behind his back, he walked back over to me. "I got something for you."

I smiled widely at him as he brought his hand out in front of me, holding a clear plastic box with a delicate looking corsage in it.

"Edward. It's...beautiful. Thanks so much." I said, standing up and hugging him.

"It's a white orchid. My mom said that a white color would be best, because I didn't know what color you would be wearing."

I took the corsage out of the box, gently fastening it around my wrist, then holding my arm out to admire it. "I love it. It's perfect."

"Good." Edward looked relieved. "I'm glad."

There was a heavy silence that followed. "So, let's go downstairs?"

"Wait. There's something I wanted to say."

"Okay...What's up?" I asked him, slightly worried at his hesitant tone.

"Umm...crap. I..." Edward stumbled over his words, running a hand through his hair.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything is fine. Great, actually. I'm just bad at...this." He said, motioning between the two of us.

My mind immediately went to the worst place. "Oh my God. Are you breaking up with me? Was this a...pity corsage?"

"No! No. Not at all. Quite the opposite. I just wanted to say that. We haven't really been going out for a long time, I know. But if I don't say this now, I'll end up regretting it."

"Okay. Just say it, Edward. Whatever it is."

"I really, really like you, Bella."

I laughed. "Well, I really, really like you too. I'd say it's a win-win."

Edward sighed. "I mean, I love you. I think."

My mouth dropped open in shock. "You love me? I mean, you _think_ you love me?"

"I mean, I know I do. I just didn't want to scare you. Saying that I think makes it less...scary."

Overcome with an odd euphoria, I threw my arms around his neck, kissing him hard.

"That was the most unromantic thing ever." I giggled, resting my forehead against his. "But, I love you too. And I don't just think I do."

"Really?"

I surprised myself with how easy it was to tell him that. My worries over the past couple weeks seemed to vanish as I saw the huge smile spread over Edwards face.

"Yes, really."

* * *

So, they said those three words. What do you think?

As always, I'm looking for your baby names/song suggestions. I'm working on a playlist now, it might be up on my blog by the time you read this, or by the next update.

Quite a few of you have asked about EPOV. I have considered it, actually, it was the plan from the beginning to write the story again in EPOV. If there's interest, I will write WCN in EPOV. Or, would you guys rather have certain parts written in EPOV as outtakes? I'm pretty much up for everything.

Anyways, let me know what you think! If you review, I'll send you a teaser of the next chapter.

Until next time!


	16. Chapter 16

Hey, everybody!

I definitely meant to have this written and posted a lot sooner. First at Christmas. Then by New Years. Finally, by my birthday (which was on the 18th). So, I'm ten days late to that goal. Sorry! The chapters seem to be getting longer as I'm going on.

Big thanks to EdwardsLove82, who answered my plea on Facebook for someone to beta. She got it back to me super quick and has agreed to stick around!

Also, thanks to Tropical Sorbet, who, as always, reads my chapters and tells me they aren't terrible. And for our many attempts at writing fests.

* * *

It seemed like the weekend after Prom, everything got a lot more busy and stressful. In the last week of May, all the teachers had stopped teaching us new material. Suddenly, I was weighed down by study guides and not so subtle threats that doing badly on my finals for any given class could ruin my GPA for the year.

Since Edward took his schooling really seriously, the only chance I had to actually see him outside of school was if we were studying.

Most of the time it was just Edward and me, but tonight it was the whole group.

"Ugh. Can we take a break yet? My brain hurts. All the numbers are just jumbling together." Victoria complained, throwing her calculator down on her Algebra textbook.

"Yeah. I think I've read over this note card five times," Ben added.

"Okay. I'll go put the pizzas in the oven," I said, getting up off the floor of the entertainment room at Edwards.

"More drinks too, please!" Angela called after me.

I nodded and headed to the garage where the freezer was. Carlisle and Esme had gone out for the evening and had made sure that the house was well stocked with every snack food and drink we would want, since they knew we would be over to study.

I grabbed four of the pizzas, knowing that the guys could eat a lot of pizza.

Back in the kitchen, I had all the pizza's on baking sheets and the double oven preheating.

"Hey," Edward said, coming up behind me. "I came to help."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't think I need help. I'm just about to put them in."

"Oh. Well, I can get the sodas." Edward offered, going over to the refrigerator.

"Oookay." I said, dragging the first syllable out. Edward was acting weird. But not his normal level of weirdness.

I turned back to what I was doing and squeaked loudly when Edward appeared behind me again, this time wrapping an arm around my waist and resting his chin against my head.

"You look really pretty today."

I blushed, my eyes looking down at the counter top. "Stop it."

"Stop what?" Edward asked.

"Lying."

"I'm not lying. Why would you think that?"

"Because. You're my boyfriend. It's like, your duty to tell me I look nice when I don't."

"I'm not lying. I like your hair up like that. Your shirt is nice too."

"Okay. Now I know you're lying." I was currently featuring second day hair and this t-shirt my mom had just sent me a shirt that had Jacksonville, Florida across the front in between two palm trees. It was laundry day. Besides, I had felt guilty enough when I called my mom to thank her for the package and told her it wasn't necessary to send me anything. She had burst into tears, thinking that I hated it. Freaking pregnancy hormones.

I turned around to look at Edward, who looked back at me with a confused expression. I slid away from his grasp and grabbed one of the pizza's to put in the oven.

"You're really pretty, Bella. But fine, I won't argue with a crazy lady." Edward said, filling the other oven with the two pizza's while I set the timer.

Before I could argue, Victoria walked in the room, one arm out feeling around with her other hand over her eyes.

"Is it safe?" She asked, parting her fingers slightly to see through them. "Oh, good. You guys are fully clothed. I thought you were in here screwing, you were gone so long."

"Victoria!" I mumbled, embarrassed. She could be so crude sometimes. In another lifetime, I'm sure her and Rose would've gotten along really well.

"Whatever. I'll grab the sodas. Come on. I'm getting bored of studying this whole time." Victoria grabbed the sodas and headed back to the entertainment room without waiting for us to respond.

That's how the next two weeks continued. Edward was stressing over finals, insisting we spent every bit of free time studying, because soon after that we would have nearly three months to relax. Ben and Angela were much more relaxed about the whole thing since they already had one foot out of Forks High. And with James and Victoria, well, like always, they took things in stride.

0-0

"Just one more final," I sighed, plopping down at my usual chair in the library. It was just Edward, James, Victoria and me there for lunch. Today was the seniors last day. They had all finished their finals earlier in the day and were currently having the senior luncheon in the Quad, followed by graduation practice.

We were all sitting around, signing each others yearbooks. I hadn't signed Edwards yet, but told him to save me a page. We planned on exchanging yearbooks tonight to sign.

When the bell rang for the end of lunch, Edward walked me to my next class as he usually did.

"So. Friday night, do you have plans?" Edward asked once we got to the door of my class.

"Nope." I shrugged. "Probably just hanging out at home, relishing in the fact that I don't have to go to school for the next few months."

"Let's go out and celebrate. Just you and me." He suggested, leaning against the wall.

I quirked an eyebrow. "Just us? Like, a date?"

"That's the idea."

"Awesome. Where are we going?" I asked, feeling excited. Edward and I didn't really do the whole solo date thing.

"Port Angeles." I opened my mouth to ask where in Port Angeles, but he cut me off. "No. I'm not telling you where."

"Just a hint?" I pouted.

Edward pushed himself off the wall and laughed. "No, Bella. No hints. I'll see you after school, okay?"

I nodded and watched as he walked away, feeling butterflies flutter in my stomach.

0-0

The next day at school was pretty much a joke. All it consisted of was food, getting back all our work from our teachers and clearing out our lockers for the summer. And signing yearbooks.

The signing yearbooks part was probably the most depressing. I wasn't really friends with anyone besides our immediate group anymore.

My yearbook from sophomore year was filled with peoples signatures and little notes, promises to hang out over the summer and even some phone numbers.

Sure, none of the plans to hang out never actually happened and I never bothered calling any of the numbers, but people actually wanted to sign my yearbook.

Unlike this year.

Actually, I hadn't even bothered to get my yearbook back from Edward and he hadn't gotten his back from me, either. The page he had designated as mine was still blank.

I still hadn't seen Angela or Ben yet, but I had texted Angela to let her know that Edward and I would be going to graduation later that evening.

At twelve twenty, school was let out and I went to meet Edward by his car.

"We have a few hours to kill, how about we grab lunch before coming back here for graduation?" Edward asked when I got up to him.

I shrugged. "Sounds good. But let me take my truck home so I can drop off all my stuff and change?"

Edward agreed and with a quick peck on the cheek, we each got in our cars.

0-0

Charlie was at work when I got home, so I grabbed my iPod out of my backpack and put it in the dock, turning it up loud and scrolling through until I landed on The Cure.

I danced around my room, probably looking like an idiot, but I couldn't help it. The fact that I wouldn't have to return to school for an entire summer was just really exciting.

Then, I remembered that I would go back to school in the fall as a big sister.

Shit.

I pushed that thought out of the back of my mind for the moment and fished through my closet, looking for something nice to wear that would also reflect my unusually bright mood.

My eyes landed almost immediately on the bright yellow sundress with the tags still on. Another gift from my mom that went unworn. Also, probably another ploy to get the thought of moving to Jacksonville in my mind.

She knew that in Forks, I'd have very few opportunities to actually wear a strapless dress like this.

However, it was pretty sunny and in the mid-sixties, so I figured I would go for it.

I quickly stripped down to my underwear and looking in the . I didn't have a strapless bra to wear with it. I took off my bra and them cupped my boobs, holding them up and moving my hands away.

Yeah, I could get away with not wearing a bra.

After I got the dress on, I threw on a cardigan and put on a pair of old, white Converse.

I still had thirty minutes until Edward was going to come pick me up.

Since I really had nothing to do to make the time pass, I texted Edward, asking him if he was ready yet.

When he didn't reply, I figured he was busy.

Five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. I shut off my iPod and starting running down the stairs.

"Coming!" I yelled from the staircase.

"Edward!" I exclaimed, opening the door. "You didn't text me back."

"I'm sorry. Should I have texted you before I came? I mean, I figured that you were reading and wanted me to come over soon, so I thought I would surprise you. I can go and come back."

I shook my head, smiling, then grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him inside the house, shutting the door behind him.

"No. Of course not." I stood up on my tiptoes to kiss him, wrapping my arms around his neck to pull him closer.

A minute later, we broke apart and I grabbed his hand and my bag, leading him out of the house.

We decided on going to the diner for lunch, since it was really one of the only good places to eat in Forks. After stuffing ourselves full of greasy food, we still had a while to wait until graduation started, but decided to go early anyways and try to get four seats to save.

I sent a quick text to Victoria, letting her know we were here.

The graduation ceremony was being held outdoors in the Quad, there were big flower arrangements up near the stage, along with flags and a podium.

Edward and I found four seats together near the front along the aisle, so I set down my bag on one of the empty seats to save it.

By now, the sun was pretty warm and shining brightly, so I stood from my seat and shrugged off my cardigan to hang over the back of the other empty chair.

Besides me, Edward groaned.

"Edward?" I asked, laying a hand on his arm. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Bella." Edward shook his head, shifting slightly in his seat. "I think I'm getting a headache."

"Oh." I frowned. "I think I have some Motrin in my bag, if you want?"

Edward laughed. "No. It'll go away on it's own."

I shrugged, going back to sit in my seat.

Sometimes, Edward could be so weird.

0-0

Victoria and James managed to get back to school ten minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start.

Both of them looked overly smiley and rumpled, making me hold back a teasing comment about what they were up to the past few hours.

I only saw Angela and Ben briefly as they walked past us down the aisle to Pomp and Circumstance, Angela waving frantically and smiling brightly at us. Since the seats weren't in any order, Angela and Ben sat together in the front row.

I rested my head on Edwards shoulder during all the speeches from various students and faculty, letting myself feel a little sentimental, thinking about how in just a year, we would be the ones up there in the blue and yellow cap and gowns.

Finally, Diplomas were handed out and our group stood up, cheering and clapping loudly at both Angela and Ben, causing them to each smile embarrassed.

At the end of the ceremony, Edward and I hung back while Angela and Ben went to find their parents and claim their diplomas.

"Hey, you guys!" Angela said, coming up to us and giving me a hug.

"Congratulations, Ang. How does it feel to officially be a high school graduate?"

Angela shrugged. "Pretty freaking awesome."

Ben came up behind her, his and Angela's parents in tow.

"Hey, we're all going to dinner at the Lodge, you guys wanna come?" Ben asked. "I already asked Victoria and James. They want to come."

I looked at Edward. "Yeah. We should all celebrate together."

0-0

Later that night, Edward dropped me back off at home from the celebratory dinner and Charlie was already in bed. I lay awake, listening to the few crickets outside chirping.

My phone vibrated on my nightstand and I flipped it open, seeing a new text from Edward.

_Looking forward to tomorrow night. Sweet dreams. -E_

I sent him a text telling him goodnight, then squeezed the phone to my chest, feeling stupid for doing so.

Yes, this summer would definitely prove to be a good one.

0-0

The next evening, I was showered, dressed in a floral printed spaghetti strapped dress and wearing a pair of sandals.

Angela and Victoria had come over earlier in the day, insisting that they help me get ready for our date. In the end, I guess I was lucky, because Victoria was able to do my make-up while Angela curled my hair a bit around the bottom.

Charlie had played the role of the over protective father once he found out about mine and Edwards plans for the night.

Lucky for me though, he was working all night. Although that didn't stop him from suggesting I come with him to the station to have Edward pick me up there.

I didn't really get what his issue was. I mean, he liked Edward. He liked his parents, I knew he approved of Edward, otherwise he probably would have put his foot down and not let me go out at all with him.

I was pretty sure he just wanted to scare Edward to assure he would behave.

Charlie knew I was safe with Edward. He was a respectable, young man; his words exactly. Seriously, he drove a Volvo. How much more trustworthy could he get?

Besides, it wasn't like we were doing anything more than making out.

At six forty-five, Edward came to pick me up, his relief obvious when he saw that Charlie's cruiser wasn't in the driveway.

I guess Dad really did achieve what he wanted to.

Edward still wouldn't tell me where we were going, even when we got to Port Angeles. Instead, he just parked at the same parking lot we had last time we were here and held my hand, guiding me toward the restaurant the entire way.

Edward held my hand, leading me towards the restaurant, Bella Italia. The spaghetti strap dress I was wearing was perfect for the humid June night.

"I hope you like this place, my parents said the food was really good." Edward said, holding the heavy wood door open for me.

"I am _starving_," I groaned, following him up to the hostess stand.

"Hi! Welcome to Bella Italia." The young, blonde hostess greeted us. Or should I say, greeted Edward.

"Hello, we have a reservation under Cullen for 7 o'clock." Edward said, wrapping a hand around my waist and pulling me closer to his side.

"Sure thing. Please, follow me." She grabbed a couple of menu's and lead us toward the back of the restaurant.

Edward and I followed behind her, Edward rushing ahead to pull my chair out for me, causing me to roll my eyes.

Waiting until we were both seated, the hostess handed each of us our menus. "Here you go. Your waitress tonight will be Bree and she will be right with you two. Enjoy your meal."

Edward smiled back at the hostess, thanking her, as I opened my menu up.

"Can you believe we'll be Seniors next year?" Edward asked, not looking up from his menu.

"I know, right? It feels like just yesterday I started at Forks High."

Edward looked up from his menu, smiling. "Yeah, me too."

"Hi! My name is Bree, I'll be your server tonight. Can I take your drink orders?" I jumped, looking up to see a tiny girl who looked around our age staring down at us.

"Bella? Do you know what you want to drink?" Edward asked.

"Um...sure. Can I have a Coke please?" I asked, looking up at Bree. She was staring at Edward, seemingly not hearing me at all.

"Excuse me?" I asked. "Did you get that?"

Bree shook her head, coming out of her trance. "Oh, I'm sorry. You said an Iced Tea?"

"No. A Coke." I corrected her.

"Oh. Sure." She dismissed me, turning to Edward. "And you?"

"I'll have the same," he replied, smiling at her.

"Alrighty then. I'll be right back to take your orders and bring you your drinks and bread sticks," Bree said, turning around. Her hips swayed a little too much as she walked away.

As we waited for her to come back, we talked a little bit about Edwards plans for his birthday that was coming up in the next week.

All too soon for my liking, Bree came back, carrying a tray with our drinks and bread on it.

She took our orders, Chicken Parmesan for me and Eggplant Lasagna for Edward, smiling at him the whole time.

"Everyone is really nice here, aren't they?" Edward asked, taking a sip of his Coke.

"Yeah, just great service." I muttered, pulling apart my bread stick angrily.

"Is there something wrong, Bella?" Edward asked, reaching across the table to grab my hand.

"No." I shook my head, grabbing my glass with the hand he was reaching for. "Everything is fine. I'm just hungry."

Edward seemed to take my excuse and gave my hand a squeeze. "Good. I'm hungry too."

Bree came by once again, serving us our plates of food and asking if there was anything else we needed.

"No, I think that's all." I said, giving her what I hoped to be an icy smile.

We ate dinner mostly in silence, although I would occasionally look up and catch Edward staring at me, smiling.

"What?" I asked after the fourth time I caught him staring. I took my napkin from my lap and blotted at my face. "Do I have marinara on my face?"

Edward shook his head, laughing. "No. I just forgot to tell you how pretty you look tonight. I realized I tend to do that a lot."

I blushed. "Well, thank you. You look good too."

All too soon, we finished eating and Bree came back.

"Did you enjoy your meal?" She asked, hovering near Edward.

"Yup." Edward nodded, smiling at Bree and pushing his plate further back. "It was really good."

"Yes, it was really good. Thanks." I chimed in as well, even though she looked as if she could care less about what I thought.

"Lovely." Bree replied, turning her head and flashing me a tight smile, then turning back to Edward. "Would you like dessert?"

Edward looked at me and I shrugged. I didn't really want to stay for dessert, but when Edward and I went out, he _always_ ordered dessert. I had learned pretty quickly that he had a huge sweet tooth.

"Sure. What do you suggest?"

"I would recommend our triple chocolate cake. It's absolutely...sinful." Bree said, practically purring.

"Sounds good, we'll take that."

"Alrighty then. I'll just clear up your plates and bring back your dessert.

After we finished eating dessert and Bree had dropped by the table with our bill, Edward and I fought over the tab. I wasn't quite sure why I even bothered. In the end, he always ended up winning, even if it meant slipping the waiter the money when I was in the bathroom.

Luckily enough for me, Edward said he didn't need to wait for change, so we were able to leave without seeing Bree again.

"Night you guys, thanks for dining with us!" The hostess called after us as we left the restaurant.

The air outside had cooled down considerably, causing me to shiver and Edward to wrap his arm around my shoulder, pulling me against him.

Although the gesture and the closeness was nice, I couldn't shake the bad mood from the restaurant.

"I really liked that place," Edward commented. "Did you?"

"Yeah. Good food." I agreed with him.

"Great food. We should go back soon. They were all really friendly, too."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. Really friendly."

My mind began to wander as we walked down the street to Edward's car. The girls were friendly. They were also older and gorgeous. And Edward was all smiley and flirty with them back.

Edward was completely oblivious to my inner turmoil, even as we got to his car and he held the door open for me and received a tight lipped smile and a curt 'thanks' back from me.

As we drove through the streets of Port Angeles, Edward reached over the console to grab my hand, taking it in his.

Seeing those girls so flirty with Edward made me feel insecure. They _were_ prettier than me. Why wouldn't he be attracted to them?

Maybe he wasn't attracted to me. I had thought that after we said, 'I love you' to each other, that maybe our physical relationship would step up a notch. Like, maybe he would have initiated _something_.

Maybe Edward thought I wasn't willing to put out. I mean, I wasn't willing to have sex, yet. But I would have like to do something more. Maybe I could try Victoria's advice?

Or maybe he wanted me to touch him.

I was driving myself crazy.

"Pull over!" I half-yelled at Edward.

"What? Why? What's wrong?" Edward asked, clearly panicked.

"Just...pull over." This time, I managed to keep my voice in check. "There's parking coming up on the right for Lake Pleasant."

Although it was mostly dark out, I could tell Edward was looking at me like I was crazy.

A couple minutes later, Edward pulled into the deserted parking lot, shut the engine off and turned to me.

"Bella, is everything okay? You've been acting-"

Before he could continue, I leaned over the console, steadying myself against the car door to kiss him.

Edward tensed before he relaxed, probably confused my my rapid mood swings. After a couple minutes of making out over the console, I decided the space between us was too much.

It was a little difficult, but I managed to get myself out of my seat belt, climb over the console and straddle his lap. The steering wheel dug annoyingly in my back, so I reached my right hand down, still kissing Edward, to feel blindly for the lever to push the seat back.

Once it had moved back further, my hand found itself back in Edward's hair, weaving my fingers through it and tugging slightly.

Edward's hand were low on my hips, his fingers were digging in almost painfully. I squirmed in his lap, trying to get his fingers to loosen their grip.

The action caused Edward to groan. And that's when I felt it. His...thing. The fabric of his slacks wasn't tight enough to fully keep it hidden from me and I could feel him, hard, against my inner thigh.

It was now or never. I scooted back a little further in his lap, my right hand releasing its grip and going down his chest, to the crotch of his pants.

I palmed him gently, in completely new territory; literally and figuratively. Edward squirmed beneath me, so I took that as a good sign and gathered up even more courage to quickly unzip his pants and stick my hand inside, cupping him around his boxers.

Edward's lips froze on mine and he jumped. "H-holy shit."

Opening my eyes, I saw his, wide open and staring at me. Leaning forward, I began kissing him up and down along his neck, still awkwardly fumbling below his waist.

"Wait. Bella." Edward groaned, his hand moving from my hips to my wrist. "Wait. Stop."

This time, the tone in his voice was enough for me to stop. Horrified, I realized what I had just done.

"Oh, God. Oh, God." I quickly removed my hand from his pants and leaned back, staring at the look of shock on his face in the dim light. "Oh my, God."

I grabbed the door handle, opening the door and slamming it shut once I got out. The air was even cooler now and I hugged my arms around myself, shivering. I began walking in the direction I thought Forks was in.

It didn't take me long to hear the echo of the car door closing and Edwards frantic voice ringing out.

"Bella? Bella!"

I knew it was stupid to just leave him there and even more stupid to decide to walk the ten plus miles home than to simply talk it out.

But I couldn't. I was mortified.

I heard running footsteps behind me, but didn't bother stopping.

"Hey, Bella." Edward was right behind me then and he reached out, grabbing me by the wrist. "Wait."

"Ugh. Just...just let me go. I'm really sorry. I don't know what I was thinking." I apologized, still not looking him in the eyes.

"There's nothing to apologize for. But do you really think you are walking home?"

I nodded. "Yes. I _am _walking home. Besides, I can call Angela or Victoria to come get me."

"Oh, really?" Edward laughed. "Bella, you left your phone in my car."

"Crap." I groaned, rubbing the heels of my palms in my eyes.

"Come on, let's just go back to my car and talk."

"No thanks. I think I'll just keep walking. I can use the pay phone at the gas station."

"Would you stop being so stubborn? Seriously. Come on." Completely surprising me, Edward grabbed me around the waist and picked me up.

"Let me down!" I yelled, squirming in his arms. I wasn't even a foot off the ground, but his grasp on me was so tight that I couldn't scoot down.

He grunted, shifting me up so I was higher off the ground and started to walk back to his car.

"Edward. You're going to hurt your back. Just put me down."

"Will you come back with me if I put you down?" Edward asked, stopping.

I sighed. "Yes. Fine."

Edward loosened his grip on me enough to let me slide down his body to the ground. The hardness I had felt in the front of his pants earlier was still there, leaving me more confused.

We walked back together in silence, not touching. For once, I hated the silence between us. It wasn't the usual comfortable silence that neither of us felt the need to fill. Instead, it was a tense silence that allowed my embarrassment and confusion to settle in my mind.

I skipped ahead of Edward as soon as we got close enough to the car so that he wouldn't be able to hold the door open for me, which in turn, earned a scowl from him.

"Are you ready to talk about this?" Edward asked, adjusting the seat back in place.

"I don't see what there is to talk about. You rejected me. You don't want me like that. Okay. Take me home."

"Stop it. Would you at least listen to what I have to say instead of jumping to conclusions? Conclusions, which I must say, are very, very far from the truth."

I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "Fine."

"Okay." Edward looked relieved as he turned on the light above us. "I'd like to see you while we talk."

I motioned with my hand for him to continue, but he caught it quickly and held on to it.

"Bella, It's not a matter of whether or not I want you. Believe me. I do want you. It's about the timing. I mean, do you really want our first...whatever that was... to happen in the front seat of my car in some random parking lot?"

I could definitely see his point in that. But it wasn't like we were going to have sex. What did it even really matter where it happened? Instead of opening my mouth and saying something stupid, I just shrugged.

"You've been acting strange ever since we got to Port Angeles.I don't want something to happen that we'll regret, Bella," Edward explained, rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand.

"A mistake? It would have been a_ mistake?_" I asked, trying to pull my hand from Edwards, who just tightened his grip on mine. At this point, I knew I was being irrational. But it seemed like all I could do was go with my emotions, which currently felt like they were a little out of control.

"Not that the...act would have been a mistake. Don't take it out of context. I meant that maybe it would have been too soon and you seem upset. I don't want you to wake up tomorrow feeling guilty about it, which in turn would make me feel like shit."

I groaned. "Why do you have to make sense?"

Edward smirked, then leaned forward to kiss me, his face lingered near mine when we parted.

"Talk to me, Bella. Tell me what's going on." His breath was hot against my face and my breath caught in my throat at hearing his low whisper.

Most of the time, Edward was quiet and awkward and shy. But sometimes, he had surprised me by being like this. I think I was thoroughly dazzled.

So naturally, it was like the floodgates unleashed.

"Those girls!" I practically screeched, causing Edward to jerk away.

"What girls?" Edward asked. The look on his face was completely clueless. But he couldn't have actually been.

"The girls that were all over you at the restaurant." I explained, exasperated.

"The hostess and the waitress, Bree?" He clarified.

"Bree, is it? So what, you're on a first name basis now?"

"What? She was our waitress. She introduced herself as Bree." Edward spoke slowly, as if he thought I was having a hard time comprehending him.

"Yeah. Sure. She was all over you. So was the hostess. 'Can I help you? What can I do for you?'" I mocked in their high pitched voices, batting my eyelashes obnoxiously.

Edward barked out a laugh and ran a hand through his hair. "You're not serious, are you?"

I arched an eyebrow at him, giving him my best bitch face.

"Holy crap. Bella. You're serious."

"Yes. I'm serious, Edward. You might as well have asked them when they were getting off work so you could pick them up."

"Have I ever, ever given you a reason to doubt me? That I would actually _cheat_ on you? That I could actually hurt you like that?"

"Well, no." I said sheepishly. "But I mean, most girls at Forks High, they don't see you like I do. They don't see how attractive and sweet you are. So when not only one, but two girls that are way prettier than me start hitting on you, it makes me feel...bad."

"Bella. You remembered when I told you that I loved you, yes?" He paused, waiting for my confirmation so I nodded, smiling a bit at the memory. "I meant it. I wasn't flirting back with the waitress or the hostess. I didn't even see more to them than them just doing their job. Believe me?"

"Yes." I said, happy that I knew I wasn't lying. "I believe you."

"Good. And never, ever say that I don't want you. Because I do. You have no idea how difficult it was to stop you." Edward looked away then, but I could see the tips of his ears and his cheeks flush pink.

"Okay. So...we're good?" I asked. "I mean, you aren't mad at me?"

"No. Of course not. I wasn't mad at you at all. I should probably be the one asking you that."

I giggled, embarrassed at the scene I had made. "I'm good."

"Good. And Bella?" Edward asked, turning off the overhead light and starting the car.

"Hmm?"

"Please, don't ever run off and start walking in the middle of nowhere at night. Besides, you were going the wrong way."

* * *

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Next chapter will be one you'll (hopefully) all enjoy and probably have been waiting for!


	17. Chapter 17

Hey, guys!

Big thanks to Edwardslove82 for beta'ing this so fast.

Remember, this is rated M for a reason other than language.

* * *

A week after school let out was Edwards seventeenth birthday. Instead of just celebrating his birthday on the actual day, it ended up being a two day event.

Yesterday, the day before his birthday, our group all piled in to Edwards Volvo and drove up to Port Angeles to go to dinner and the movies.

We ended up going to a Mexican restaurant, where I let it slip to the waiter, that it was Edwards birthday. After we had finished our food, a group of the waiters came out, plopped a sombrero on his head and sang Happy Birthday. I thought he was going to die from embarrassment and almost felt bad about doing it. Almost.

The next day, on Edwards actual birthday, we went to breakfast at the diner, then to our spot at the park to hang out for a while.

That evening, we were going to the Lodge with Edwards parents and my dad.

When I told my dad that he would have to dress in something other than jeans a flannel shirt, he wasn't pleased. But, when I told him he could skip on the tie, he was a little more okay with it.

Thanks to a shopping trip with the girls last week, I had gotten a new dress to wear for the dinner.

It was white, short sleeved with a black skirt that went above my knees and had a silver band around the waist. The dress was perfect for me because it was simple and comfy.

I had even bought a pair of plain black flats to wear with it.

"This isn't some real fancy place, is it?" Charlie asked as we were driving over to Edwards.

"No, dad. It's not. It's a steakhouse. You like steak," I assured him.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll see," he huffed.

I rolled my eyes and turned to face out the window of the cruiser. Edwards present was sitting in my lap, along with a present from my dad, although I had no idea what he could have gotten him. He didn't really know any of Edwards interests and the box was so small, any of the ideas I had would be too big for the box.

When we pulled up to Edwards house, I quickly got out of the car, grabbed the gifts and skipped up the path to the front door so I could beat my dad to ringing the doorbell.

"Bella! Charlie!" Esme greeted us when she opened the door. "You look lovely, Bella."

"Thanks, you look nice too." I complimented her, stepping into the house. Her hair was up in a bun and she was wearing a burgundy wrap dress. With her pearl earrings and necklace, she looked like the stereotypical fifties housewife.

"Hi, Esme." My dad greeted her, following me inside.

"We're just about ready to leave for dinner." Esme turned to me, gesturing to the living room. "Why don't you put down the gifts on the coffee table for later and go upstairs to see what's taking Edward so long."

I nodded, dropping the gifts I brought along with the rest of Edwards gifts before heading upstairs.

"Edward," I sing-songed when I gotto the upstairs hallway.

Just then, Carlisle came out of the upstairs office, almost walking into me.

"Woah, there, Bella." He said, laying a hand on my back to steady me. "Sorry about that. You look nice tonight."

I blushed at his compliment. "Thank you."

Carlisle laughed, shaking his head. "I'm going to go downstairs and say hi to your dad. Try and hurry Edward up, okay?"

Edwards bedroom door was wide open, so I just let myself in. He was at the foot of his bed, staring intently downward.

"Hey. Whatcha doing?" I asked, going up beside him. He leaned his body down slightly toward me, so I stretched up to kiss his cheek. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks. What tie should I wear?" He asked, looking down at the four ties on his bed.

"Why would you wear a tie? Charlie and your dad aren't wearing a tie."

Edward groaned. "Mom told me to wear one. Whatever. If my dad can get away without wearing one. I can too."

0-0

The ride to Port Angeles was somewhat awkward. Since we were taking only one car, Carlisle was driving with Esme in the front seat.

Originally, my dad had tried to sit in the middle between Edward and I, but after a dirty look from me, he begrudgingly scooted over so I could sit in the middle.

The 'almost handjob' incident, as I liked to call it, was still a little too fresh in my mind. After that night, Edward and I hadn't mentioned it. I wasn't sure if it was for my sake or because he was also embarrassed. But either way, we hadn't exactly fallen back into our old routine.

I hoped that we soon would.

0-0

The dinner, however, did go well. Edward, Carlisle and my dad pretty much stuffed their faces the whole time, leaving me and Esme to talk about my plans for the summer and the upcoming birth of my sibling.

When the conversation turned to that, I noticed Charlie freeze for a second before resuming eating.

I started shoveling food in my mouth as well, not really wanting to talk about it out loud when I hadn't done much thinking about it myself.

Later that night, when we got back to the Cullens, we had birthday cake and opened presents.

Before the 'almost handjob' incident, I had confessed to Esme that I had no idea what to get Edward for his birthday.

Although it had felt like we had known each other for a long time, in reality, he had only lived in Forks for 6 months. Only about three and a half months of those had been us actually being friends or a couple.

When Esme told me what she and Carlisle had planned to give Edward, I knew just the perfect gift.

Edward was really excited about the new record player his parents got him for his birthday. The one he had now was an old hand-me-down from his dad's college days.

To go along with his parents gift, I had gone into Port Angeles to buy him a few records of both old and new bands that he liked.

My dads gift to Edward had been the most ….strange.

Charlie looked a little bit nervous watching Edward open the gift, like he would hate it and throw it back at him.

"Oh, wow. Thanks, Charlie." Edward said when he opened the box, holding what looked like a shiny little fish by a string.

"You got him a fishing lure?" I blurted out.

Charlie shrugged. "Sure did. I thought Edward might appreciate a boys day out, fishing with Billy, Jacob and me. Apparently, Jacob's taken quite a liking to Edward here after last time."

I scowled at Charlie, remembering exactly how last time ended up.

"Thanks." Edward said, setting the lure back into the box. "That sounds...awesome. I don't have a fishing rod or anything, though. I've never actually been fishing."

Charlie looked at Edward like he had grown another head. "I've got some extra equipment you could use. I think we're gonna go fishing sometime after the fourth. It'll be good. Just us guys." Dad turned to Carlisle. "You're of course welcome to come with us."

"Thanks, Charlie." Carlisle said, taking a swig of his beer. "But I think I'll leave that to you guys. I'd probably scare all the fish away."

An hour later, Charlie had gone to his car to give Edward and me some privacy to say goodnight on his front porch. As much privacy as you could have with your dad twenty feet away in a cop car and his parents on the other side.

"Did you have a good birthday?"

"Yeah. I love your gift. I think I'll probably end up listening to the albums for the rest of the night. Thank you." Edward made a move to kiss me, but then pulled pack, looking past me.

I rolled my eyes. "It's okay. It's just my dad."

Edward looked like he was weighing his options before quickly leaning down again and kissing my cheek. "Come over tomorrow?"

"What time?" I asked.

"Whenever you want. I'll just be hanging out around here all day."

"Okay. I'll call you when I wake up." I started heading toward Charlie's car, yelling 'bye' over my shoulder.

"Did he have to kiss you like that?" Charlie asked once I got my seat belt on.

"Dad!" I exclaimed, feeling embarrassed. "Did you have to spy on us?"

"It's not spying when you're doing it right in front of my face," he pointed out.

I huffed, crossing my arms.

"Bella," Charlie said in a warning tone.

"Yeah, yeah."

0-0

The next morning, I woke up bright and early, getting fully ready to go to Edwards before heading downstairs. When I got to the kitchen, I found Charlie already there, having his morning coffee.

"Whatcha doing today?" I asked him, knowing he had a day off.

"Billy called, I think I'm gonna go down to the Rez and hang out with the boys."

I laughed. "Trying to make yourself sound like a teen again, Dad?"

"Hey, now. I'm down with the kids," Charlie deadpanned, tilting his coffee cup in my direction. "Feel like tagging along? I'm sure Jake would like to see you."

"Can't." I replied, pouring my own cup of coffee. "I'm going to go hang out at Edwards."

I pulled my phone out of my back pocket, checking the time. "I'm going to head over there now. Will you be back for dinner?"

"I'm not sure. I'll let you know later though. Let me know if your plans change throughout the day, though." Charlie said, setting his coffee down. "If you and Edward get bored, you're welcomed to go to the Rez.."

I gulped down the rest of my coffee. "Okay, Dad. Have fun."

With my phone still in hand, I sent a quick text to Edward.

**You better be awake. I'm coming over! -B**

I said bye to Charlie and headed out the door, grabbing my handbag on the way out.

My phone chirped with a new text just as my truck roared to life.

**I'm up! Come over. I'll be waiting. -E**

My heart fluttered just a little bit at his reply.

0-0

It only took a few minutes to get to Edwards house.

He must have been standing at the front door, waiting for me or something, since the door opened up as soon as my car door shut.

"Hey," I greeted Edward, leaning up to kiss him once I got inside his house.

"Hey. Thank God you're here. I've had such a boring day." Edward smiled down at me, pushing my hair away from my face.

"Yeah?" I asked, smiling back at him. "It's only nine."

"Still. Boring. Do you want breakfast?" Edward asked, heading toward the kitchen.

I nodded, following him. The morning sun was shining through the kitchens large bay window, causing a warm glow on Edwards hair.

So red in the sun.

So pretty.

I rolled my eyes at my thoughts.I watched Edward make a pot of coffee and pull some waffles out of the freezer. "Where are your parents?"

He shrugged and shook his head to clear the hair out of his eyes. "Dad's on call for the next forty-eight hours and Mom went to Port Angeles for the day with her gardening club."

"Oh." I paused a moment, letting his words sink in. "So, we're alone for the day, then?"

Edward smiled shyly. "Yeah. We are."

0-0

Thirty minutes later, we were in Edwards bedroom, with me sitting on the bed and Edward on his couch.

"So, what's the plan for today?" I asked, flipping through one of Esme's Better Homes and Gardens magazines.

"I don't know. The beach, maybe? Or we could go to the park. Or maybe the forest?" Edward suggested, moving on the couch so he was laying down.

"I guess. Maybe a movie in Port Angeles?" I offered.

"Is this seriously happening? Not even two weeks into Summer Vacation and we're already bored?"

"Pathetic," I giggled. "Really pathetic."

I kept laughing, thinking about how excited I was for vacation and how I imagined doing all these really fun things with Edward. But here we were, bored.

"What's so funny?" Edward asked, laughing.

"I don't know. Nothing, I guess. Just ignore me," I told him, shaking my head.

Edwards smile left his face and he just kind of...stared at me.

"You are so pretty," he breathed out, quietly.

"What?" I asked, confused at how the conversation turned quickly.

"Come here." Edward held out his hand to me from the couch.

Without thinking, I got up off his bed and walked over to his outstretched hand and took it.

Edward sat back up again, making room for me to sit down beside him.

"Hi," I managed to squeak out.

"Hi," Edward replied, looking just as nervous as I felt.

What was happening?

"You're so pretty when you smile," Edward said, fingering a lock of my hair. "You're always pretty, but when you smile..."

I leaned forward, kissing Edward. Our slow kisses turned more intense until suddenly, I was straddling Edward's thigh and he was laying half under me.

I could feel him hard against me for the second time, ever.

I experimentally shifted my hips above him, testing the waters.

He kissed me back with more fervor, his hands running up and down my back.

Then his hands grazed my side, effectively grazing my boob.

I gasped at the tingling feeling. Edward froze, pulling his hand away.

"S-sorry," he stuttered out.

"No," I shook my head. "Do it again."

Edward brought his hand back to my side, touching me so lightly I could barely feel anything.

"It's okay. Please?"

His hand touched me harder now and I shifted my body again, causing my whole left breast to be held in his hand.

"I don't know what I'm doing," Edward admitted shyly.

"It's good. Whatever you want to do. It feels good."

I bent down to kiss him again, my weight resting on my right side as my left hand traced his hairline and moved down his body.

"Can I touch you too?" I asked. I didn't know where this sudden boldness had come from, or maybe I was just being overtaken with hormones.

After all, I did have an extremely hot boyfriend and I had been going out with for a couple of months, that hadn't done more than kiss me.

I wiggled a bit into him to emphasize what I meant.

Edward didn't respond, but instead let out a weird groan noise.

I took that as a go ahead.

I wasn't worried about him rejecting me like he had last time. He had been right. The timing was off. But today, in his house with his parents not home and the sun streaming through his bedroom window, it felt right.

Beginning at the top of his waistband, I traced a finger along the top of where his boxers peeked out above his jeans.

Edward's stomach muscles contracted as I worked my hand higher up his body, hopefully teasing him.

I glided my hand back over his chest, down to his pants, palming him over the zipper of his jeans.

I started kissing his cheek, the space below his ear and his jaw.

"Do you want me to take my shirt off?" I asked. I wanted to feel him closer to me.

"Sure. If you want," he replied. The glint in his eyes told me that he liked that idea more than he let on.

Going back to his mouth for a kiss I pulling off his glasses and setting them on the end table beside us.

I took a deep breath, gathering up enough courage to sit back on my knees and pull off the t-shirt I was wearing and throwing it on the floor beside us.

Edward hadn't said anything yet, his eyes transfixed on my chest.

So of course, my insecurity set in.

"Okay, I know my bra isn't some like, super sexy thing with lace and satin. And my boobs are small. So, I'm just going to put my shirt on and go home and we'll pretend this never happened, okay?"

I started reaching down for my shirt, but Edward stopped me, grabbing my hand.

"I'm always messing up with you, it seems," he said, kissing me.

"What? No. Never."

"You're so beautiful. You don't see yourself clearly. I was...admiring." Edward blushed, turning his face to the side.

I exhaled, relieved. "You're so sweet. Now...let's see. Where were we?" I asked, laying back down on him the way I had been before, going back in to kiss his neck.

My left hand went back down to his jeans, where he was still bulging against his zipper.

Having enough of the teasing, I ran the palm of my hand up and down him again, this time stopping at the button of his jeans.

Working awkwardly with one hand, it took a few attempts to finally get the button undone and the zipper pulled down.

I worked my hand up and down him, slowly, unsure of how he liked it.

I reached through the opening in his boxers, wanting to pull him out of them so I could really feel and see him. He bucked his hips into my hand.

"Show me what you want, what you like." I whispered in his ear, momentarily removing my hand from him to unclasp his hand where it was clutching at the couch, bringing it to my chest.

"Wrap your hand around it," Edward rasped out, starting to knead at my skin.

I did as he said, marveling in how soft and warm he felt. "Like this?"

"Yeah." Edward nodded his head. "Tighter though, just a little. Then move it, up and down. Fast or slow."

I began moving my hand up and down, watching amused as he grew harder, the skin around his dick becoming less apparent.

There was too much friction though, so I ran my thumb across the head of his dick where liquid was pooling, using it to ease the movements of my hand.

Once I had gotten somewhat of a rhythm going, I focused my attention back on kissing Edward. I opened my mouth enough to let our tongues stroke against each other in time with my hand, while his hand worked at kneading me over my bra.

We continued on like that for a couple more minutes until Edward started jerking his hips up into my hand. Suddenly, his hips arched entirely off the couch and his body froze as he let out a low groan.

The wet warmth I felt on my stomach and down my hand told me that _I made Edward Cullen__ come._

I kissed Edward one last time before kneeling back and sitting down on the couch.

Edward was still laying back on the couch, breathing heavily.

"Umm, I'll be right back, I'm just gonna..." I trailed off, pointing my thumb in the direction of his bathroom.

"Oh, crap. Sorry." Edward leaned up, taking his shirt off that had gotten some of his jizz on it and handed it to me.

I wiped myself clean and he took back the shirt to take care of while I went to go freshen up, taking my shirt with me.

Once I was sure I was clean, I went back to Edward's bedroom to find him laying on his bed, eyes shut, dressed in a new shirt.

He cracked open an eye and gave me a lazy smile, patting the bed next to him.

I smiled back, bouncing over to the bed and laying down beside him, snuggled up into his side.

"Was that okay? I mean, did you like it?"

I looked up at Edward to see him looking down at me, blushing.

"It was great, Bella." He paused, looking even more embarrassed. "I'm sorry I didn't get to...reciprocate."

"Reciprocate?" I asked, before it dawned on me. "Oh. No. That's okay. I mean, yeah. No. I don't think I'm ready for...that."

"Oh." Edward looked a little disappointed by that. "Well, whenever you're ready, Bella. I don't want to pressure you."

I smiled wider. "Thank you, Edward. Now, how do you feel about going down to La Push?"

* * *

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	18. Chapter 18

Hey, everyone!

Please read the a/n at the end of the chapter for fun things.

* * *

"This is a bad idea," Edward warned me as we got into the La Push town limits.

"Shhhh." I put my index finger to his lips. "Shush. Stop freaking out."

"Bella, your dad is a cop. He's gonna know." Edward swatted my hand away, then focus his attention back on the road.

"He's not going to know. There's no way for him to."

I had called Charlie earlier to let him know that Edward and I would be going down to La Push. I could hear Jake yelling excitedly over the phone, asking Charlie to hand it to him.

"Bella, Bella!" Jake greeted me over the phone. "Charlie says you're coming here with Edward. We're having food at Sue's. Hurry!"

Before I could say anything else, he hung up the phone.

Edward was obviously against the idea, thinking that my dad would somehow know what went on.

"He will. He's a cop. He can sense it," Edward insisted, bringing me back to the present.

"Okay, fine," I sighed. "I'll call Dad and tell him I have a headache or something. Turn the car around."

"What? No. We already told your dad we would go."

"Then don't whine! Just act...calm. Casual." I shrugged.

Really, I wanted to go down to La Push because I was a little unsure of how to act around Edward after the actual hand job.

It wasn't necessarily awkward after the fact. It was more like, where do we go from here?

I didn't know if I was just being a stupid girl, but I felt like by what we did earlier, our relationship was now on a different level. Deeper, maybe.

It kind of scared me.

"We're here," Edward said, shutting off the engine of his car.

We got out of the car and I watched as Edward looked around.

"Have you been here before?" I asked.

"No." He shook his head. "It's nice. But it looks just like the rest of the area does."

I walked up to Edward and took his hand. I wasn't sure my reassurance had done much for him.

"Hey," I reached my free hand up to cup his cheek. "Don't freak out. I love you."

"I love you too. I'm sorry. I'm being an idiot." He leaned down then, kissing me quickly on my lips.

"Alright. Come on. They're probably around the back."

We followed the sounds of talking and laughing around to the back of Sue's house.

Along with Billy and my dad, Jacob was there play with Sue's youngest, Seth. Sue and her older daughter, Leah, weren't outside.

"Hey, Dad, Billy," I greeted them, nodding my head in their direction. They were sitting across from each other on one of the two picnic tables that Sue had in her backyard.

Edward greeted them as well and Billy ushered him to sit down so they could discuss their plans for a fishing trip.

"Hey, Jake," I went over to where Jake and Seth were playing in the grass with little army men.

Although I had met Sue a few times in the past and her kids, they were still virtual strangers to me. "Hey, Seth."

"Hi, Bella," they replied in unison, not bothering to look up from what they were doing.

"Okay..." I trailed off. I guess they rather would play than hang out with me. "Your mom's inside?"

Seth nodded. "Yeah. So is Leah."

"Okay. I'm going to go see if they need help."

They didn't acknowledge me, causing me to roll my eyes and huff. Boys. Even little boys.

I went inside to the kitchen to find Sue and Leah preparing the food.

"Bella!" Sue said, wiping her hands on a towel and coming over to hug me. "It's so nice to see you again."

"You too." I turned to Leah, giving her a small smile. "Hey, Leah."

"Hi," she replied back, shyly.

Leah was thirteen, just starting at that awkward age. Charlie didn't mention much about Sue's kids, but I knew from him that she was shy and quiet.

"Do you need any help?" I asked.

"No, I think Leah and I have got it. Food's almost done anyways. There's drinks in the fridge. Charlie said you brought your boyfriend?" Sue asked, giving me a knowing smile.

"Oh, yeah. Edward's outside talking to Billy and my dad about a fishing trip."

"You better go outside then. Lord knows what Billy and your dad are talking to him about." Sue smiled. "Grab a couple drinks and let them know dinner is about to be brought out. I figured it's nice enough to eat outside."

Once I was back outside, I handed Edward the can of soda I had got for him and then let everyone know what Sue had said.

Charlie and Edward pushed two of the picnic tables together to create one long table while Seth and Jacob went inside to wash their hands.

The food was good. Sue had battered and fried some fish that Charlie and Billy had caught.

After we had eaten and I had helped Sue and Leah with the clean up, Edward and I went for a walk around the reservation.

"So, are you ready to tell me that I was right and you were wrong?" I asked, stopping to sit on some large rocks.

"Okay, Bella. You were right, I was wrong. It wasn't so bad. We're going fishing on July fourth. I told him my parents invited you guys over for a barbecue and some swimming. I hope that's okay. He said it sounded good."

"Yeah. That's fine. I love your house. I don't even remember the last time I went swimming. All my swim suits are probably too small."

"Swim suit?" Edward asked, gulping.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. I'm not going to go swimming in my clothes. I'm sorry you'll have to be subjected to how pasty I am." I lifted my shirt up slightly, enough to show off how white the skin under my shirt is.

"Oh." Edward's eyes went down to the sliver of skin, not even bothering to look up after I straightened it back out. "You'll be wearing a bikini?"

"Yeah." I shrugged. "It's my only real chance of getting some sun. I think last summer I went to the pool a few times and got the tiniest bit of a tan. My shoulder's still have freckles, see?" I pulled the neck of my shirt down my shoulder's a bit, taking my bra strap with it.

Maybe I enjoyed teasing Edward _just_ a little.

"Huh. I've never noticed," Edward replied, his fingers ghosting over my shoulder, causing goosebumps to appear.

The air between us changed into something thick and intense. I leaned in, hoping to do a little making out, when I heard footsteps running up to us.

"Hey... Mom wanted me to come get you guys. We're just about to eat some dessert.," Leah said, a little out of breath.

"Yeah. Okay. We'll be right there." I smiled back at her, just a little upset that she interrupted us.

I grabbed Edwards hand, watching as Leah ran back toward the house.

"I think someone has a little crush on you," I pointed out.

"What?" Edward asked, looking confused.

"Seriously, Edward? Leah was all batting her eyelashes at you and giggling at everything you said when we were eating."

"Right."

"I can't say I blame her. She just better keep her hands to herself!" I said, only half joking about the threatening tone in my voice.

"Geez, Bella," Edward laughed. "She's just thirteen. She isn't even in high school yet."

"Doesn't matter. You would probably be shocked if I told you what Jessica told me about Tanya back in middle school."

Edward shook his head. "I probably don't want to know."

I scrunched my nose, thinking about Jessica told me Tanya had did and with who.

"You're right. She's gross. Her choices are...questionable at best."

We headed back to the house where Sue was serving out cupcakes and fruit salad.

A little while later, Edwards mom called, asking him to come home. After saying bye to everyone there, Edward and I went back to the car.

"There. Now was that so terrible?" I asked, breaking apart from kissing Edward. He had pulled up in front of my house to drop me off before he went home.

"Huh?" Edward asked.

"You were so convinced something was going to happen with my dad. But it was perfectly fine, right?"

"Yeah," Edward agreed.

"Yeah, what?" I smiled.

"Yeah, you were right and I was a big over-reactor. Happy?" Edward rolled his eyes.

"Very." I gave him another quick peck, then opened the car door, jumping out. "I'll call you later!"

0-0

The morning of Fourth of July, I woke up entirely too early.

By entirely too early, I meant four thirty in the morning.

Charlie had told Edward to come over at five so they could head down to La Push to pick up Billy and Jacob.

I told Edward to come by fifteen minutes early so we could eat breakfast together and maybe I could give Edward an out from having to spend achingly boring hours with my dad and his friend.

After pulling my hair up into a ponytail, I brushed my teeth, washed my hair and headed downstairs.

A few minutes after I had gone downstairs and downed a cup of coffee, there was a knock on the door, followed by Edward sticking his head in the house.

"Your dad said I could just walk in..." Edward said, probably seeing the confused look on my face at him just walking in the house.

"Oh," I nodded my head, going over to him to kiss his cheek. "I'm glad."

Edward followed me to the kitchen, watching me as I made him a cup of coffee.

"I'm pretty much exhausted. I wanted to actually make something, but it looks like you're stuck with toaster waffles."

I put the waffles in the toaster and poured maple syrup into a small bowl to heat up.

"Was my dad outside when you got here?"

Edward nodded. "Yeah, he was taking fishing stuff to put in his car."

"You know, it's not too late to back out. We could let them go fish for a few hours and we could hang out here, alone?"

"It's fine, Bella. This is male bonding time. The time for us males to..."

"Bond?" I continued for him.

"Yes." He nodded his head. "My father told me it was important to get on the good side of your girlfriends parents. I mean, you never know what will happen."

"Huh?" I asked, setting down his plate of waffles with butter and syrup. "What's going to happen?"

"Oh, I don't know." Edward replied, cutting and taking a bite of his food. "Like, when we get married or have kids or live together or something."

"What?" I asked, shocked.

Edward looked up at me as I sat across from him at the table. "Oh. Shit. Sorry. I didn't mean when. I meant if. If. If we get married and have kids and live together."

"Okay."

"How about we just drop it. Sound good?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah. That sounds good."

As much as I loved Edward and didn't want to think about not being with him, I was only seventeen. I didn't want to think about_ that_ yet.

Luckily, just then Charlie came in, stopping the conversation from becoming even more awkward than it already was.

"Ready, Edward?"

"Yes, I am." Edwards face was a little red, probably from embarrassment, which caused Charlie to give him an odd look.

"Right. Well, I'll just be in the car," he told Edward, then turned to me. "Do you think you could pack me a couple plain waffles to take with me? We're running a little behind schedule."

"Sure. And Dad?" I walked over to him. "Please don't give Edward a hard time, okay?"

Charlie sighed, faking annoyance. "Come on, Bella. I'm cool. Edward is going to have a good time with all the guys. Right, Edward?"

"Right." Edward nodded fervently, agreeing with him.

I watched as Charlie left the house to go wait in the car, then went over to Edward.

"You can still back out, you know. Maybe fake sick? I can tell him the breakfast was off." I wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my cheek on his chest.

"It'll be fine," Edward reassured me, his arms going around my waist. " I better go."

"Okay," I said, not letting go.

"Bellaaa," Edward whined. "Your dad is going to come in here in like, 5 seconds to make sure there's no 'funny business' going on."

"Right." I gave him a quick squeeze and tilted my head up to kiss his jaw. "Bye. Remember, text me if things suck there and I'll create some sort of diversionary tactic to get the fishing cut short. Otherwise, I'm going back to bed."

"Alright. I'll see you in a little bit, Bella." Edward walked over to the front door and opened it. "It'll be fine. I mean, how bad could it be? Jake will be there."

I waved Edward off and went over to the window to watch him getting in the car and leaving, my eyes shooting daggers at my dad, hoping he could feel my stare and know that he better be on his best behavior.

I could only hope, right?

* * *

If you're looking for something a little smutty to read, check out the new Graphic Lemons community! There's over 100 fics so far and I'm always looking for more to add, so PM me with your submissions or recs. Also, don't forget to SUBSCRIBE! fanfiction(dot)net/community/Graphic_Lemons/88993/

ALSO!

So, you guys have probably all heard of the Fandom Fights Tsunami compilation, right?

Well, if you didn't donate or didn't look through all the fics in there, I contributed a little teaser of WCN in EPOV.

If you haven't donated, you can still donate and submit your receipt to them and get the compilation until July 1st. fandomfightstsunami(dot)blogspot(dot)com/

Review! And this time I WILL send out teasers in the reviews.

Tune in next time and see if Edward made it out of the fishing trip unscathed.


	19. Chapter 19

unbeta'd. Hope this sorta makes up for the long wait!

* * *

I decided to go to back to bed after Charlie and Edward left.

After all, it was _really_ early to be awake during summer vacation.

Before I settled back in bed, I made sure to turn the ringer on my phone up, juts in case Edward changed his mind about being saved.

Apparently, Edward didn't need rescuing, because when I woke up five hours later, it was to the sound of car doors slamming shut.

I quickly got up and looked out the window to see Edward helping dad carry in his ice box and fishing gear.

Wanting to meet them downstairs, i ran my fingers through my hair and stopped by the bathroom to gargle some mouthwash.

"So...how was it?" I asked Edward as he came into the kitchen. Dad had gone back out to the shed to put away the fishing stuff.

"It was good," Edward shrugged.

"It was good," I repeated. "They didn't like...traumatize you or anything?"

"Bella, it was fine. Don't worry about it."

I eyed Edward curiously. He was hiding something.

"You're hiding something."

"Trust me, Bella. We fished, Jacob played, we talked."

"Ha!" I exclaimed. "So you talked. What about?"

"Just guy stuff. Sports, you know." Edward went over to the fridge and took out two bottles of water and handed one to me.

"Since when do you talk about guy stuff?" I asked, taking the bottle from him.

"Are you questioning my masculinity here? My dads into sports. I know things," Edward added, looking hurt.

I couldn't continue my interrogation of him because my dad came back into the room then.

"So, Dad. How was fishing?"

"It was good, Bells. Edward caught the biggest fish out of all of us," Charlie shrugged.

"Cool," I nodded my head. "What did you guys talk about?"

Charlie shot Edward a look. "Guy stuff. Sports, boring stuff to you."

"Ugh!" I threw my hands up.

"You are so, totally lying!" I huffed. "Edward said the same thing!"

"Smart boy," Charlie commented. "Now, come on, Edward. I'm going to teach you how to clean a fish!"

0-0

The next couple of weeks passed by quickly and before I was ready for it, it was the Fourth of July.

Last years hadn't been that exciting.

Charlie had been working, so I just grilled some hot dogs for us to eat when he was able to take a short break.

I had stayed in that night, watching fireworks on tv.

This year though, the Cullens had invited Dad and me over for a barbecue and swimming.

"Now, you're sure your mom doesn't want me to bring anything?" I asked Edward for the millionth time.

I heard him sigh over the phone. "No, Bella. Just yourself and your dad. Mom already went shopping and bought everything yesterday."

"Okay, okay. Just making sure. We'll be over in a bit. Bye."

After hanging up, I grabbed a tote bag and shoved sunblock and a towel into it. I had already changed into my swimsuit, a nautical looking bikini that I had bought for the occasion. Over it I was wearing a pair of old denim cut offs and a blue tank.

"You, ready, Bells?" Charlie yelled to me from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, hang on!" I replied. I quickly threw my hair up in a ponytail. Luckily for Forks, we were going through somewhat of a heat wave and I intended on taking full advantage of it.

My dad and I walked through the side gate of their house to where everyone was and were instantly greeted by Esme.

"Hey, guys! Glad you could make it," Esme said, setting down a platter of fruit on one of the tables. "Bella, why don't you go inside and see what Edward is up to?"

"Thanks, Esme." I didn't need any more urging. I hadn't seen Edward in a few days, so with a quick wave to Carlisle who was setting up the grill, I went inside to go find Edward.

As soon as I got in the house, I could hear the muffled sound of Sublime playing up in Edwards room.

The door was cracked open a bit, so I went in his room, finding him laying on his back on his bed.

"Hey," I smiled, going to sit down next to him. "I half expected you to be smoking up here or something. I didn't know you liked Sublime."

"James listens to them all the time. They've grown on me." Edward said, looking up at me. "And smoking? Bella, my parents are downstairs. Besides that, I don't smoke weed."

"I'm just teasing. But have you smoked before? I mean, you hung out with James and Victoria a lot and I know that they do. Frequently."

Edward shrugged. "No. They don't really do it much around any of us. I mean, they've offered before but I've always said no. Why, have you?"

"Well...yeah. I'm not like a huge stoner, obviously, but I've done it a few times at parties with Jess and them." I looked away from him, suddenly feeling embarrassed. He didn't seem to mind Victoria and James doing it, but maybe he would mind that I had done it before.

"I've always wanted to try," he said instead, surprising me.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Edward shrugged again. "I mean, just curiosity. Even Angela and Ben have tried it once."

"Angela? Really?" I asked, surprised. "That's weird."

"Maybe we could try it together? Just once, before the summer is over?"

"Yeah..." I paused. "Maybe. We'd have to get some, first. But come on, let's go outside. I want to go swimming before we eat."

I shut off Edwards iHome, then grabbed his hand, pulling him off the bed and downstairs to the backyard, passing my dad in the kitchen where he was now helping Esme with something.

Once we were outside, Carlisle summoned Edward over to help him, so I was left alone to go swimming. It felt kind of awkward to be basically undressing in front of everyone, but as I glanced over to Edward, I saw his face had a kind of glazed over look as he stared at me intently.

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks as Edwards gaze didn't waver from me. Was it a good kind of gaze? A bad? I tugged at my bikini self consciously and looked down.

I thought I looked okay.

Deciding to ignore Edwards weird behavior, I dug around in my bag for my sunscreen and started applying it to my body. With my luck, without it I would just end up turning bright red.

Realizing that there was only so much of my back that I could reach, I needed help putting it on.

Grabbing the bottle, I headed over to where Edward was with his dad.

"Hey, umm...I can't reach like the very middle of my back. Do you think you could help me out?" I asked, holding the bottle out to Edward.

He just looked at me, then down to the bottle.

"Edward?" I waved the bottle in his face.

Carlisle came up from behind him and clapped him on the back, then mumbled something to him I couldn't quite hear.

Edward seemed to snap out of it then and grinned sheepishly. "Uh, sure. I can do that to you. I mean...for you."

Carlisle laughed turned back to the grill, mumbling something under his breath again.

I pulled my hair to the side and gasped a bit as the cool lotion touched my back.

"Can you go swimming with me now? Or do you still have to help your dad?"

"I can go in with you," he replied.

Edwards hands were working lower down my back now, his finger sliding underneath the strap of my bikini top. His hands felt so nice that I let out an embarrassingly breathy moan.

Edwards hands stilled almost immediately. "Well, um, all done. I'm just going to change into my board shorts. I'll be right out."

I decided to not wait for Edward to come back and instead walked down the steps in the shallow end of the pool. Ten minutes later, Edward came back out wearing a white v-neck and black board shorts. He walked over to me, sitting on the edge of the deep end of the pool, his feet dangling in the water.

"Took you long enough," I huffed, jokingly. "What were you doing?"

Just then, Carlisle barked out a weird noise that sounded somewhere between a laugh and a cough.

"I couldn't find my board shorts," he said, throwing his dad a dirty look, then taking off his shirt and tossing it onto a nearby chair.

He pushed himself off the ledge and falling in the water, plugging his nose and squeezing his eyes shut.

When he resurfaced to the top, he rubbed his eyes and blinked, then smiled at me.

I felt my heart stutter and my breath catch at the way he looked at me. He had gotten in the pool so quickly that I hadn't gotten to admire him without a shirt on, the first time I'd seen him shirtless.

The muscle that I had seen plenty of times beneath a t-shirt were now visible to me, along with his slightly tanned, freckled shoulders I hadn't seen before.

"Hey, you have freckles like mine," I blurted out.

Edward looked down to his shoulders and then back at me. "Yeah, I've been swimming every morning since school got out. I guess that's the only place I'm going to actually tan."

I shrugged. "I like you either way."

Biting my lip, I glanced over to Carlisle who had his back to us at the grill. I swam closer to Edward and grabbed onto his biceps to steady myself and kissed him.

"What was that for?" Edward asked, grinning.

"Just cause I like you."

We swam around for a little while until Carlisle announced that the meat was done grilling and my dad and Esme came out with the side dishes.

After we finished eating, I helped Edward do the dishes and clean everything up, then we went back outside to swim a bit more before it got darker.

Edwards mood seemed to have changed for the better from the weird way that he was acting when I first came over, which was good. He definitely seemed more relaxed as he splashed me with the water.

"Bella? We're about to do fireworks in a bit, do you want to take a quick shower first?" Esme asked.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," I replied, swimming over to the shallow end to get out of the pool.

"Oh, god." Edward muttered quietly. He was staring. Again.

This time at my chest.

I looked down, seeing the problem instantly. Hello, nipples.

Feeling a little embarrassed but pleased that Edward at least liked what he say, I quickly grabbed my towel and wrapped it around my body.

As soon as my boobs were covered, Edward snapped out of it and looked up at me. "Sorry," he blushed.

"It's okay. I'm just going to take a shower. Okay. I'll be back," I said, rushing inside.

I was so glad that none of the adults were paying attention to us for that little incident.

After my shower, we messed around with Sparklers for a little bit before we headed over to Tillicum Park to watch the fireworks.

Dad has excused himself to go home before the park, since he had to work early in the morning.

When we got to the park, Esme laid out a blanket for us to sit on.

"Mom? Bella and I are going to go for a little walk around the park, we'll be back," Edward said, grabbing my hand and leading me toward the back of the park where our regular spot was.

"What are we doing back here?" I asked once we sat down. It was pretty much deserted, since mostly everyone was at the opposite end of the park.

"I just wanted to spend some time with you."

"Edward," I laughed. "We've spent all day together."

"Yeah," Edward shrugged. "But our parents were there. Now they're not."

"Oh," I replied. "So, then. Since we're pretty much alone, what do you want to do?"

Edward grabbed me, putting his hands on my hips and pulled me closer to him, until our faces were close together.

We stayed like that until I went forward to close the gap.

After kissing for a few minutes, the loud bang of the first fireworks startled me, causing me to let out a surprised squeak.

"Come on, let's get back." I told Edward, giving him a quick kiss before heading back the way we came.

0-0

Two weeks later, Edward and I were in my bedroom, making out on the bed.

It took a lot of coercing to get Edward up there, but after insisting that my dad wouldn't be home for hours, he finally followed me up.

He had been tentative to kiss me at first, instead trying to distract me by looking through my CD collection.

It wasn't until I got off my bed and went behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist that he gave in.

Edward turned around to face me and placed his hands on my waist, pulling me closer as I moved my hands up to play with the hair at the nape of neck.

After kissing standing up for a while, I began to push Edward toward the bed until his knees hit the back of it, causing us to fall onto the bed with me on top of him.

Both of us were breathing hard and I couldn't help myself from squirming against him, feeling him hard underneath me. Edwards hands made a trail up from my hair down to my ass, where he began tracing along the edge of the lounge shorts I was wearing.

"Touch me, please." I whispered when Edward pulled back to take a deep breath.

"Are...are you sure?"

"Yes," I nodded my head. "I'm really, really sure."

Edward nodded and kissed me gently. "I'll start over the clothes."

"Over the clothes," I repeated, agreeing with him.

He rolled us over so that I was on my back and he was on his side next to me.

Keeping his eyes on my face, his right hand went back to my hip, then slowly ran along my skin to below my belly button, causing me to shiver.

When his hand went down down to between my legs, my hips bucked up against his hand.

"Is that okay?" Edward asked, stilling his hand.

"Yes. Keep going," I whispered.

Edward kept touching me until I needed more.

"Underneath," I groaned out, unable to form a complete sentence. I was too focused on how he was making me feel.

When his fingers touched me for the first time, skin to skin, my hips shot off the bed at how much _more _I could feel.

Edwards movements were tentative at first, but with each groan or arch of my hips, his movements were more insistent until my entire body tensed and shook with my orgasm.

Edward kept stroking me until I whimpered and shut my legs tightly against his hand. I reached up to kiss him hard and then pushed him on his back so I could climb over him to go clean myself up.

When I got back to my bedroom, Edward was laying on his back with his eyes shut, a smug smile on his face. Edward opened his eyes and gave me a lazy smile, reaching his hand out toward me.

I giggled, taking his hand and laying down next to him on the bed, snuggling into his side.

After a few minutes of silence, I noticed the bulge in Edwards jeans was still there and must have been uncomfortable.

Without speaking, my hands went down to his pants and I quickly unzipped his jeans and grasped him in my hands.

"Bella?" Edward groaned, reaching down to grab my wrist and still my movements.

"Shh," I said, smacking his hand away. "I want to try something."

I steeled my nerves for what I was about to do. I mean, it was just a blow job, right?

I'd never really thought about actually_ wanting _to give one before, I had always thought they were gross. Rose and Victoria had talked about giving them to their boyfriends enough to know that it wasn't always gross. I also knew that teen boys loved blow jobs; girls like Lauren handed them out like goodnight kisses after dates.

"It's okay, Bella. We can just go downstairs and watch a movie," Edward suggested, sensing my hesitation.

"No," I shook my head. "No. I just wanted to try something..."

I trailed off, tugging Edwards jeans down around his thighs and then pulled him out of the opening of his boxers.

I took his dick back in my hand and pumped him twice, then scooted down the bed so I was kneeling above him. Getting down to rest on my arms, I wasted no more time and flicked my tongue out, licking the head of his dick.

"Shit," Edward ground out, banging his fist on my bed.

I smiled to myself, the only time I heard him swear was when we were like this.

Feeling more confident, I lowered my mouth on him as far as I could go and stroked the rest with one of my hands.

After a few minutes of erratic movements from the both of us, Edward began to frantically push against my shoulders.

"Move...Bella, move," Edward groaned.

I grabbed Kleenex from the box on my nightstand and took my mouth off of him but continued to stroke him until he came into the wad of tissue.

I hopped up off the bed and went to the bathroom to flush it down the toilet, leaving Edward laying on the bed and panting hard.

"Bella, that was...awesome." Edward breathed when I came back into the room. "Was it okay for you?"

"Yeah," I blushed. "It was good."

"All of it?" Edward asked. He didn't elaborate, but I knew he meant more than just the act.

"Yeah," I smiled, kissing him. "It was all perfect."

0-0

I laid in his arms for a little while, surprised at how not freaked out I felt. Taking that step with Edward seemed right. I let myself relax deeper into his arms only to bolt up when I heard a car door slam.

"Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit," I hissed, jumping off the bed and going over to the window to see if it really was my dad.

It was.

"I thought you said your dad wasn't going to come home for hours?" Edward groaned, shooting up off the bed and grabbing his jeans off the ground, hastily pulling them on.

"You cannot be up here. That is like the one rule Charlie has that I know he means. You have to get out of my room!"

"Bella, I can't just go down the stairs and walk out the front door." Edward said, running a hand through his hair.

I straighted out my clothes and worked at smoothing out my hair. "I know. You're going to have to climb out the window."

"You're kidding, right?" Edward asked, looking at me like I was insane. "You're not. Bella, you're on the second story. I can't climb up a tree, let alone down."

"Do you want Charlie to shoot you? I know you guys have some weird bond, but seriously," I said, trying to reason with him.

When the front door opened, Edward and my eyes immediately shot to my closed bedroom door. "You have to go now. You'll be fine."

I kissed Edward on the cheek and pushed him toward the open window. "I'll call you later!"

Edward grumbled something under his breath and climbed out of the window and onto the tree. Once his body was fully out of the window, I shut it behind him.

Still feeling really flustered, I got back in bed and buried myself under the covers, facing away from the door.

I could hear Dad going up the stairs and unsurprisingly, stopping at my bedroom door.

He knocked twice before opening the door. "Bells?"

I didn't answer, deciding it was best to continue to fake sleeping.

After a few seconds, he exhaled deeply. "Well, you can let Edward know that I'll be expecting both of you at the station at 7 tomorrow morning. I'm not stupid, Bella. I saw him from the kitchen window."

Oops.

* * *

So, this fic is on its way to being complete. Originally it was going to be 22 chapters, but I've decided to go with shorter chapters until the end so I'll (hopefully) update more frequently.

Sorry I didn't send out review replies for the last chapter, but if you review this chapter, I'll reply back with a teaser.


	20. Chapter 20

Well, there wasn't quite a three month wait between updates. Progress, right?

Thank you to the people who read this before I posted me and assured me it didn't suck too horribly.

* * *

I didn't try too hard to play dumb with my dad. He was a cop, after all.

Plus, the punishment wasn't _that_ bad. Just a full day of work at the station with Edward.

Edward, however, didn't share the same feelings on the matter.

"I knew it! I told you, Bella. Me going upstairs with you was a bad idea!" Edward said. I had called him after Dad went back to work.

"Seriously, it's not a big deal. He wasn't really mad," I tried to reason.

"My mom is going to kill me," Edward groaned. I could practically see him running his hands through his hair, pacing in his bedroom.

"Don't worry. Charlie won't tell them," I paused. "I think."

"Ugh," Edward groaned. I could hear the sound of him banging his head against something. The wall, I assumed.

"What, was the afternoon really so bad?" I asked lightly, trying to come off as flirtatious.

"No," Edward replied quietly. "It was really good."

"Good enough to make the consequences not matter so much?" I teased.

"You're right." He finally agreed. "My parents are going to be home soon, I think I'll hang out with them a bit to kind of soften them up. Just in case your dad calls them."

It turned out that Charlie did call them, as I found out later that night when Edward texted me before bed.

However, instead of saying anything incriminating, he told Carlisle that Edward and I volunteered to help out around the station, doing whatever needed to be done.

Needless to say, Edward was very relieved.

0-0

The next morning, Edward came over with a cup holder containing 2 coffees for him and Dad and a chai latte for me, from Mocha Motion.

While Charlie had no problem talking to Edward on the drive over, Edward could hardly make eye contact with him.

The only awkward moment was when we got to the station and Dad turned the engine off, but made no move to get out of the car, instead turning in his seat to look at us both.

"Now, I don't need to tell you why you're here. You both know," he said, using his stern Dad voice.

"Yeah, Dad. I know," I nodded my head.

"You," he pointed at me. "No boys in your room when I'm not home. When I am, door stays open. Understand?"

"Understood," I confirmed.

"Edward," he turned to look at Edward in the back seat. "Don't let my daughter talk you into doing things you know you shouldn't. Next time, I might just tell your parents."

"O-okay," Edward said.

"And just in case she does, because I know Bella. Please, use the stairs. I don't need you breaking your neck trying to get down that tree." Charlie gazed from Edward then me. He must have seemed satisfied by what he saw on our faces, because with a nod, he unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car.

As soon as he shut the door, Edward let out a relieved sigh, causing me to laugh. "See? Not that bad."

Once we were at the station, the day seemed to drag on.

Apparently, Dad had told the guys at work that we were at their disposal.

They definitely took advantage.

After four hours of watering plants, dusting, shredding paper and whatever else was asked of us, Dad was called out to check on a vandalism call at an old logging plant.

Before he left though, he handed me some cash and told me to buy us a sandwich and to take everyone elses sandwich orders.

It turned out that everyone wanted a sandwich, so after being given all the orders and cash, Edward and I started to walk the five blocks to the deli.

"So, it's not so bad, right?" I asked Edward, slipping my hand into his.

"No," Edward agreed, giving my hand a squeeze. "Except the vacuuming. I hate vacuuming."

"Me too," I shuddered, dramatically. "At least we have a break now. I'm starving."

Edward and continued to walk in silence for the next couple of block until we passed a small alleyway between two buildings.

I stopped walking suddenly, causing Edward to tug hard on my hand. When he noticed I had stopped walking, he gave me a questioning look.

I smiled at him, glancing around to see if there was anyone nearby.

There wasn't.

I pulled a still confused looking Edward a few steps into the alley.

"What are you doing?"

Before he could ask ask me any more questions, I silenced him with a kiss.

Edward was surprised by my actions for an instant, but then began to kiss me back.

"What was that for?" He asked, a lazy smiled on his face.

I shrugged. "Just because. I didn't really get to properly greet you this morning."

"No," Edward agreed, kissing my forehead. "And believe me, it's always welcome."

0-0

When Edward and I got to the deli, there was only a short line of three people ahead of us.

I was so busy rifling through my bag, looking for the sheet of paper I had written the sandwich orders on, that I didn't even notice when Rosalie walked over to me.

"Hey, Bella," she greeted. I looked up at her to see her smiling back at me.

She then turned to Edward and with less certainty than before, greeted him.

"Hi, Rosalie. What's up?" I asked.

"Oh, not much. I'm just picking up a sandwich, then I'm going to Seattle to visit Em for a few days."

"That's cool," I replied. There was an awkward moment as I was called up to the counter to order. Rose didn't leave, instead just moving to the side to let me pass.

After handing the guy at the counter my list and paying for the food, Edward followed me to sit down at a table to wait for the sandwiches to be ready.

Still, Rose lingered behind, following us to the table.

"So, um... what are you doing here? You ordered like...a ton of food," she asked once Edward and I sat down.

"Edward and I are getting lunch for everyone at my dads work," I told her with a shrug. There was no point in going into detail.

"Oh, well. That's cool. I guess."

I didn't know what Rose's problem was. I had never seen her act so awkward and evasive, even. She was always sure of herself and blunt.

"Rose, what—"

"Thirty-four!" The cashier yelled out, putting a wrapped sandwich on the counter.

"That's mine," Rose said, almost apologetically as she gestured to the sandwich. "Listen, do you think we could go to lunch sometime? To talk, you know?"

"Umm...I don't know, Rose," I said, looking down.

"Please, Bella?" Rose pleaded. "Whenever, wherever. I'll be there. I just really want to talk."

I continued to hesitate, making Rose give me another pleading look.

"Okay," I relented, sighing. "I'll call you soon. We can talk."

0-0

It took me almost three weeks to call Rosalie.

After Edward and I had gone back to the station that day, the run in with Rose was basically forgotten and Edward and I spent the rest of our day washing all the cop cars.

It wasn't until a couple nights ago when Edward and I were watching the credits scroll down the tv after a movie, that it was brought up again.

"So, Bella. Have you talked to Rosalie lately?" Edward asked. We were sitting together on the couch, his arm around my shoulders and my head resting in the crook of his neck.

"No...why?" I asked, suddenly feeling my defenses rising.

Edward shrugged. "I don't know. You guys were best friends for over a year."

"Yeah, well. I clearly didn't know her as well as I thought I did."

"I'm just thinking that maybe you should meet up with her. Hear what she has to say."

I shifted my body to be able to look up at him to see if he was being serious or not. "Are you being serious with this?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "Why not?"

"Why not?" I repeated. "Maybe because she told Lauren and Jessica, who in turn told the entire school, basically turning us into social outcasts?"

"Well, in her defense, I was already an outcast."

"Ugh!" I huffed, grabbing a pillow from beside me and hitting him with it. "You know what I mean. The dirty looks, whispers. I hope it's not like that next year."

"And if it is?" Edward asked.

I glared at him, then leaned forward, rubbing my hands over my face. "Then, that would really suck."

"It's high school, Bella. One more year and then we'll only see these people when they're home for school breaks."

"I know, I know," I felt myself become embarrassed, feeling completely irrational. "I'm being dumb, aren't I?"

"No," Edward disagreed, wrapping his arm around my waist to pull me closer. "Is it really so bad to hang out with me in the library during lunch?"

"No," I sighed, cracking a smile at the fake pout on his lips. "Ugh. Why do you have to be right?"

"I do miss Rose. I guess I could go and at least hear her out."

"Okay. At least then maybe you guys can go back to being friends again."

"Yeah. Maybe. I don't know. I think she would have to have a pretty good reason for acting the way she did to get me to forgive her. I'll text her now and see if she wants to meet for lunch later this week."

Edward nodded, giving my side a reassuring squeeze as I dug through my pocket for my phone.

_Hey, when are you free for lunch? -B_

_Rose's response was almost instant._

_Friday at 12:30? -R_

_K. Deli? -B_

_Sounds good. See u there. I'm happy u texted me. -R_

I didn't know what to say after that, so instead of replying, I snapped my phone shut and tossed it to the opposite end of the couch.

"Friday, I'm meeting her for lunch," I told Edward. "So I have a week to prepare."

"That's good, I'm sure it's going to be fine," he reassured me.

"Yeah, and if it's not, you better be free afterward to help pick up the pieces and console me," I joked, poking him in his side with my index finger.

Edwards look suddenly turned more somber.

"Geez, I was just kidding!" I told him. "It's not like I plan on falling apart when I come meet you after."

"Sorry, sorry," Edward shook his head. "Just the whole...girls crying thing. Not good with girls crying."

"So you've made a lot of girls cry, then?" I teased. "Quite the ladies man back in Chicago?"

"Definitely not. Just my mom crying at 'sentimental' moments and stuff, like when we moved or she goes all 'proud mom' on me. And Charlotte once. But other than that..."

"Well, I doubt you have to worry about me coming back all emotional. Now come on, Laguna Beach is coming on on soon. I think it's a new episode."

0-0

Rose was characteristically late on Friday, strolling in the deli at 12:40, but she at least apologized.

"Hi. Did you order?" She asked, dropped her purse into the empty seat beside her.

"Not yet," I told her, "I was waiting for you."

After we went up to the counter and ordered, we held off on talking about the real reason we were meeting until our food was ready.

Once we were sitting down and eating though, Rosalie still held off, instead asking me about my summer plans with Edward.

"Seriously, Rose. You're half way done with your salad and you've still not told me why you wanted to meet with me," I said. I was growing tired of avoiding the issue.

"I know, sorry. I guess it's just nerves," Rose said, stabbing at a piece of lettuce. "I just wanted to talk and apologize, maybe catch up."

"Apologize?" I asked, looking at her. "It's been months, Rose. Why bother now?"

"Everything was just so crazy at school and I was so stupid. I know. I'm not even sure where to start."

"How about the beginning, I guess? Or why you felt it was necessary to tell Jessica, when you know she's a blabbermouth?" I couldn't help the harsh tone my voice had taken. Although the deli was pretty full with the lunch crowd, everyone seemed to be in their own little bubble and no one was paying any attention to us.

Rose was quiet for a few moments before she replied. "I thought you were making a big deal out of it. I thought that if I told the girls, they would just give you a hard time about it, then get over it. I didn't think they'd tell everyone and then the whole school would be all judgemental against you guys."

"Really, Rose? You're trying to say that you pretty much _ruined _ the last couple months of school for my own good?" I scoffed.

"Okay, in hindsight it wasn't the best plan. I know. I suck. I also guess part of me was...jealous."

"Jealous," I repeated. "Of what?"

"You just like...moved on. New friends, a boyfriend. You didn't really seem to want to share that part with me. I was one of your first friends when you moved here and consider you to be my best friend," she shrugged.

"So, what, you did it out of...jealousy? Hoping that they would tell others and have all that shit happen to me?"

"I don't know. Maybe? Partly..." Rose said, looking unsure.

"You do realize how backwards that is right? You're contradicting yourself. First it's to help me, then it's to get some, like...revenge against me?" I snapped.

"Okay, I fully realize that it makes no sense. I'm so, so sorry that I did that to you," Rose pleaded.

I shook my head. "What you did didn't just affect me, Rose. You drew attention to Edward and Victoria, James, Ben and Angela. Our school is filled with judgemental people. People who were once nice to me in classes snubbed me, simply because you three decided that I wasn't 'cool' anymore."

"But—"

"I _hated _walking down the halls at school and seeing people giving me dirty looks. Edward had a hard enough time trying to fit in. We had to hang out in the library during lunch and brunch, just to escape it." I let out a long sigh and rubbed my temples, trying to calm myself before we made a scene.

"I know. I did a really bitchy thing. I really regret it. I've been wanting to talk to you, to apologize for weeks, basically since things got out of hand at school," Rose sighed. "I just couldn't get the courage to, I guess. Then Emmett started to really push me to do it before the school year. Maybe we could go into senior year as friends again."

Rose looked so...hopeful, that I almost agreed. Almost.

"I don't know if we can just go back to being BFF's, or whatever. You hurt me. You hurt my friends. Maybe I'm making a big deal out of it, I don't know."

"No, I get it. I understand," Rose said, looking down at her plate. "Totally. If I was in your place I'd probably feel the same way."

"Right, so I appreciate you apologizing, I really do. I just guess I need some more time to get over hurt feelings." I stood up, grabbing my garbage and my bag. "I'll call you sometime, or see you at school, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, grabbing her own container of food and bag. "Thanks for meeting with me today."

I stayed behind at the deli after Rose left, deciding to buy Edward some of the fresh cookies the guy behind the counter put in the window display.

When I got out of the deli, I took my phone out of my bag to call Edward and let him know I was on my way. When I flipped my phone open, I had five missed calls and one voicemail. All from Phil.

Instantly, of course, I panicked. Was it my mom? The baby?

I quickly dialed my voicemail and listened to the message.

_Bella, it's Phil. Call me back as soon as you get this. Okay...um...bye. Call me back._

He didn't sound super panicked, but there was an urgency to his voice that I wasn't used to.

Calling him back, I swear the phone didn't even finish ringing once before he answered.

"Bella?"

"Hi, Phil, it's me. Is everything okay? I just got your message. I had my phone on silent."

"Everything is okay, or at least I think so. Or at least it will be okay. But you need to come to Jacksonville, now. They're going to be inducing your mom tomorrow afternoon."

* * *

Not intentionally a cliffhanger. We'll be flying over to Jacksonville in the next chapter and Bella will get her new sibling. Still not 100% sure the sex, but definitely no surprise twins or anything like that.

Leave a review and let me know what you think! Or you can come harass me on twitter at Happymess89 if doing too much tweeting and not enough writing.

Oh! And one last thing, if anyone is still reading. I try to keep these things short. What are you reading that you're loving? Fic or real book? Or do you write fic? Let me know when you review, I'm always looking for something new and exciting to keep my interest.


	21. Chapter 21

"What do you mean she's going to be induced?" I asked, my voice frantic.

"I knew we should have told you when this all started," Phil groaned over the phone. "Your mom insisted that she didn't want to worry you."

"Will you just tell me whats wrong? You're really starting to freak me out."

"Renee and I went to her appointment last week and the doctor informed us that she had Preeclampsia. They ordered her to go on bed rest."

"Okay, so what happened then?" I asked. My mind was spinning. I knew that Preeclampsia was serious. Why would my mom hide it from me?

"We went back to the doctors today and her doctor decided that the best thing to do would be to induce labor and get the baby out."

"Is she going to be okay?" Tears pricked at my eyes. "Is the baby going to be okay?"

Phil sighed. "I think so, the doctors said it's always a risky situation, but she should be okay. She was admitted to the hospital after her appointment and I've just been rushing around, getting her bag from the house and making phone calls."

"Well, can you have mom give me a call when you get back to the hospital? That is, if she's feeling up to it. I guess I should try and find a flight out there and make plans..." I trailed off, feeling overwhelmed.

"Oh, crap. I almost forgot." Phil let out a small chuckle. "I've already booked you a flight. It's a red eye, sorry about that. You'll be getting in at I think eight eastern."

"Okay, that sounds good. I guess I should see if my dad can give me a ride and pack a suitcase. Call me if something comes up?"

"I will. I'll be picking you up at the airport tomorrow morning too. I'll also email you flight info. In the meantime, try not to worry too much. You're mom is going to be okay."

We said our goodbyes and hung up. Realizing I was standing pretty much in the middle of the parking lot, I quickly went the rest of the way to my car and got in.

Once I was situated, I took my phone out again. Quickly pressing the call button, I leaned my forehead against the steering wheel and waiting for him to pick up. When he did, I let out a sigh of relief, along with a few tears that had been pooling at my eyes.

"Edward? Can I come over now? I just...I need you."

0-0

Edward had to have been the best boyfriend. Ever. In the history of boyfriends.

I barely made it to his house before completely breaking down and when I pulled up into his driveway, he was standing out on the porch waiting for me.

Even though I knew he felt awkward around crying girls, he still held me in his lap as I sobbed and explained unintelligibly what was wrong.

When my crying died down until I was just hiccuping, he asked me what was wrong again.

Edward pet my hair and listened quietly until I was done explaining it to him.

"It'll be okay, Bella," Edward comforted me. "And just think, by this time tomorrow you could be a big sister."

"Yeah," I smiled. "Wow. That's actually really weird to think about. I hope they like me."

"I'm sure they will. Do you have a preference on whether you get a brother or sister?"

"Nope," I shook my head. "Not really. I guess a brother would be cool cause growing up I always wanted one. But having a little sister that could like...ask me advice and stuff sounds cool. But I'll be so much much older than her by the time she's a teenager."

"I'm sure she'll still come to you when she wants to talk. Besides, you have years and years to worry about stuff like that."

I nodded my head. "I suppose you're right." I snuggled my head further into the crook of his neck and let out a sigh. "I really should go by the station and talk to my dad. I doubt Phil would call him."

However, instead of making a move to leave, I just closed my eyes and took a deep breath in. Edward always smelled really good.

"Are you going to get up?" Edward asked. I could hear the smile on his voice.

"I don't know. Maybe? When are your parents getting home?"

"Not for another couple hours. But you need to go talk to your dad and pack and everything."

I rested my hand on the top of his thigh, closer to his crotch than necessary, to push myself up off his lap. Edward let out a little groan and I gave him a smirk to let him know I knew what I was doing.

He followed me to the front door where I lingered, still not really wanting to leave.

"You'll call when you get to the airport?" he asked. "I don't care what time."

"Yup. And when I get to Jacksonville too, if you want."

"You can call me or text me whenever you want while you're there too. If you're bored or need someone to talk to," Edward said, reaching up to brush a stand of hair behind my ear.

"Okay. Thanks for calming me down and just like...being there for me," I told him, hoping it sound as sincere as I mean it.

"Hey, it's what boyfriends are for, right?" he asked, smiling down at me.

"So, I really should go now. I don't know when I'll be coming home, which really sucks. But I'll email and call and text and you do the same. Okay?" Again, I felt myself tear up. Even though Edward and I hadn't been dating for a super long time, the idea of leaving him for an indefinite amount of time was making me really sad.

"Hey, don't cry. You'll be so busy while you're there. You'll have to help around your house and with the new baby. School starts in a month, so you'll be back by then, right?" he asked, pulling me to him in a hug.

"Right. Senior year. How fun," I said, rolling my eyes.

"It will be fun. Okay, now seriously, go," he squeezed me tightly before releasing me. "I love you."

"I love you too," I told him. Leaning up, I gave him a lingering kiss followed by a few small pecks. "Bye."

"Bye," he laughed. "We sound like one of those pathetic couples and the 'you hang up first' thing."

I shrugged. "Sorta. But bye for real now. I'll talk to you later!" I kissed him on the cheek before turning around and opening the door.

Edward stood at the open door and watched as I got in my car and drove away.

0-0

Charlie took the news pretty well and didn't panic like I had. He told me to go home and pack while he made sure the station was covered for the evening, then he would come home with dinner and to take a quick nap before we had to leave later in the night.

I sent texts to both Angela and Victoria, letting them know that I had to go to Jacksonville and didn't know when I would be back.

During the car ride to Seattle, I forced myself to stay awake, instead hoping to spend the flight sleeping.

Luckily, as nervous as I was I still somehow managed to fall asleep for most of the flight.

Once the plane landed and I had gotten my luggage off the carousel, it wasn't that hard to find Phil.

"Hey, Bella. How was your flight?" Phil asked once I walked up to him. The hands that were shoved in his pocket reached out to grab my suitcase and carry-on from me. Even if Phil was technically my step-dad, we weren't super close or affectionate with each other.

"It was good. How are you? How's Mom?" I asked, following behind him as he lead me out the terminal and toward where he was parked.

"She's okay. Anxious to get the baby out. Doctors say that even though it's before term, the baby should be okay, she's passed the thirty-six week mark."

"Good. That's good," I said. We continued to walk in silence until we reached his SUV.

"Can we stop by the house first?" I asked. "I'd like to shower and change before going to the hospital. I feel gross from traveling."

"Yeah, sure." Phil said, then tossed me his phone. "Call Renee? She wanted you to call once you landed. The number should be the last one I called."

Mom was in a good mood when I called. Even though I was still pretty upset that she didn't tell me what was going on before it got bad, it was such a huge relief to hear her sound like her normal upbeat self that I felt some of the anger slip away.

A little over an hour later, Phil and I were at the hospital with just enough time to visit before she was going to be induced.

"Mom!" I greeted her, rushing into the room and hugging her. Even though she sounded upbeat on the phone, in person she looked tired. Really tired. "Look at that bump!"

"I know, you'd think I was having twins with how huge I am. I was never this big with you!" she said, rubbing her stomach affectionately.

Throughout her pregnancy, my mom had emailed me pictures of her growing bump and scans of the ultrasounds. There was something surreal about seeing her almost to full term in person.

We talked for a few more minutes until one of the nurses came in an told us that she was going to be induced now and we had to go to the waiting room.

"Everything is going to be fine, Bella. Trust me," Mom said, taking my hand in hers. "Next time you'll see me, you'll be a big sister."

"Okay, I love you," I told her, leaning down and kissing her on the cheek. "See you in a little while."

I went back out into the hallway towards the waiting room. Once I sat down in a seat at the corner of the room, I realized I hadn't called Edward yet to let him know I had landed, I decided to text him instead since it was still pretty early in Forks.

After I updated him on everything, I put my phone back in my bag and pulled out one of the magazines I had bought at the airport to read.

Phil came out a few minutes after me and told me he was going to make a few more phone calls to friends and then swing by the cafeteria.

I nodded my head and asked if he could get me a coffee.

For three and a half hours, nothing happened. Then Phil was called in because it was time to push.

An hour later, a nurse came out, telling me that I could go in and see my new sibling.

To say I was nervous was an understatement. I had been on edge the entire time, but once Renee started pushing, I was borderline panicking.

When I went into the room, Phil was sitting on a chair beside the bed, watching as my mom cradled a bundle wrapped in a white blanket.

"Hi," she whispered, smiling at me. She looked exhausted, but happy. Really, really happy. "Come meet your new sister."

Sister. I had a sister. I was a big sister.

Shakily, I took a shaky breath and walked over to her, peering at the baby in her arms.

"Doctors said she was perfect. A little small, but otherwise healthy," she looked down at the baby then back up to me. "Would you like to hold her? Sit down."

Phil stood up from where he was sitting to let me sit down. Carefully, Renee handed the baby over to me. She was so small and pink and wrinkly. "So, what's her name?"

"Peridot Marie Dwyer," my mom beamed.

"Marie?"

"Yes, I wanted something to connect you with her, even if you are across the country," she explained. "Originally her name was going to be Amethyst Marie if we had a girl, but since she came early in August, the name Peridot seemed more fitting."

"It's a pretty name. Unique," I told her. That was a half lie, it was definitely unique, but not a name I would choose for my own kid.

"I thought we could call her Dot or Dotty," Phil chimed in.

We visited for a few more minutes until a nurse came in and told Mom that she wanted her to try feeding.

"And that's my cue to leave," I said, handing Peridot —Dotty— as I decided I would call her, back to Mom. I kissed her on the cheek and went outside to get some fresh air and call Edward.

I found an empty bench outside in a courtyard and called Edward.

"Hey, are you a big sister yet?" Edward asked as soon as he picked up.

"Yeah," I said, unable to keep the smile off of my face. "Peridot Marie Dwyer."

"That's awesome, Bella. I'm so happy for you. But...Peridot? That's...different," Edward said.

"I know," I laughed. "It's a kinda weird name, so I'm just calling her Dot. It's cute."

We talked for a little while until I heard Esme calling for Edward.

"Bella? I gotta go. I'm supposed to help my mom with moving stuff for her gardening club," he sighed.

"That sounds fun. Okay, call me later though? I miss you," I told him, hoping that I didn't sound like a clingy girlfriend.

"Of course. I miss you too. Okay, I really gotta go, she's already waiting for me in the car. I love you, bye," Edward said it in a rush, but he still managed to make my heart feel like it was lurching in my chest with the way he told me he loved me. Like it was so simple and obvious.

"Okay, love you too," I told him before hanging up.

0-0

The next three and a half weeks flew by.

Three days after Dot was born, both she and Renee were able to come home.

I had spent the last few weeks so sleep deprived, I can only imagine how tired Renee and Phil were.

Dot's nursery was across the hall and down a room from me, but every few hours I could hear her crying and one of them going into her room or downstairs to the kitchen.

But they were also some of the best days ever.

Phil had to go back to work a week after Dot's birth, so I ended up helping Mom during the days. Sitting with her and feeding her was one of my favorite things to do. Diaper changing was probably my least favorite thing to do.

But it was so fun and felt so rewarding and amazing, watching the first month of my sister's life.

Which was why now, with a week and a half left before I was supposed to fly back home, I was having serious doubts about being able to do so.

The bond I was growing with Dot was strengthening and I didn't know if I could just go back to Forks and continue on for my senior year.

But that was just it. It was only a year. I could wait it out, but then what?

Going away to college wasn't really an option. I'd always planned on staying local so I could live at home and save money. But then again, I could move to Jacksonville and live at home and go to school.

But then, there was Charlie. I felt like in the past two years I had finally been able to have a real father-daughter relationship with him. At least if I did move back in with my mom and Phil, I wouldn't have to worry about him being alone. He had Billy and now his relationship with Sue.

Then there was Edward.

How could I leave him behind? Sure, there was always the long distance thing, but we were in high school. What was the real likelihood of that lasting? Then what would we do for college?

I loved Edward though and he loved me. We could make something work, right?

Sighing, I flopped backward on the bed and sent Edward a goodnight text, not really feeling up to calling him. I knew that if he heard my voice, he would know something was bothering me.

Two days later, my mind was made up.

The next time I would be back in Forks would be to pack up the belongings I wanted to take and to say goodbye to everyone.

I didn't want to miss out on my sisters first year of life and I knew that moving here would make my mom and Phil happy. Renee would also have someone else to help her with Dot when Phil was working.

To say she was happy when I told her my decision was an understatement. She squealed loudly and hugged me, waking up a napping Dot.

I hadn't told anyone in Forks yet, not knowing how to go about it.

What would they say? How would they take it?

I cried myself to sleep that night. I felt like a zombie the new couple of days.

On the third day, Mom asked Phil to watch Dot for a little while so we could go out to lunch.

We ended up going to a little Cuban place that she loved, after we ordered, she started talking.

"Bella, tell me what's wrong," she said, sighing.

"What?" I asked, playing dumb. I really didn't feel like talking about my problems. "I'm fine."

"Clearly, you're not. I lived with you for the first sixteen years of your life. I can tell when somethings bothering you, what is it?" She reached her hand across the table to put it on mine and give it a squeeze.

I was about to tell her I was fine again when the waiter came back to the table with our food. After he left, she continued to press me.

"Honey, I know what's bothering you, or I think I do. I just wish you would tell me. You always used to share with me when you were younger."

"I'm just...sad. I guess. Thinking about moving here. Leaving behind Charlie and my friends," I told her, stabbing angrily at my food.

"And Edward?" She asked gently.

"Yes, Edward too. Maybe most of all."

"You know, the houses walls aren't that thick. I've heard you crying at night. Bella, I know that I was pressuring you a lot to move here, but I don't think it's what you want."

I opened my mouth to tell her that it was what I wanted when she shook her head, stopping me from speaking.

"No, Bella. You know that I would love to have you here. But I think you'd be miserable. There's always holidays that you can come spend here. When Dot's a little older, maybe I can take her with me up to Forks and visit you."

I raised my eyebrow. "Forks, Mom? You hate Forks. You haven't been back since you left."

"I know," she agreed. "But, I'm sure it's better now. Besides, it's just a visit."

"So..you'd really be okay if I didn't stay? Seriously? You really wanted me to move here."

"Of course I'd love having you here. But Forks is where you belong for now. Who knows, maybe you'll move out to Florida at some point in your life. And you know we'll always keep your room here for you." She smiled warmly at me and started to eat her food.

Once we were back at the car after we ate, I gave my mom a huge hug. "Love you, Mom."

"Oh, sweetie. I love you too," she sniffed. "Now come on, let's get home. We still have a week left before I get all emotional."

0-0

After that, things went back to normal. I didn't end up telling my Dad or Edward that I had planned on moving to Jacksonville. I probably would eventually, but not at least until I was back at home.

For my last day in Jacksonville, I had to wake up super early to go to breakfast with my Mom, Dot and Phil. After that, we all drove to the airport, but I said bye to Dot in the car, so Mom could walk me as far in the airport as she could.

"Alright, Dotty. You be good for Mom and Phil, okay?" I told her, leaning into the backseat of the car. She was dressed in a ridiculously pink, frilly onesie.

"Okay, Bella. Have a safe flight!" Mom told me, hugging me, once we were where I needed to be. "Oh, before I forget!" She dug in her purse and pulled out a small box. "A new camera. I got one too. I'll email you tons of pics and you do the same. I want to see pics of this Edward of yours, okay? And your friends."

I laughed. "Okay, Mom. Thanks so much."

She hugged me tightly again, kissing my cheek. "Let me know when you get home safe."

"I will. Bye, Mom," I said, waving at her as I walked away.

Hours and hours later, I was finally back in Washington. The flight had been boring and felt like it took forever, especially because I wasn't able to nap on flight.

After landing and getting my luggage, I went to go find Charlie. We agreed to meet in the same place he had dropped me off.

I found him easily, since he was dressed in his uniform, but was shocked when I saw that someone else was standing next to him.

"Edward!" I yelped, picking up my pace while trying to drag two suitcases behind me. Once I got up to him, I let go of the luggage and hugged him. Hard.

"Oh my god. I'm so happy to see you," I whispered into his shirt. I felt his chest reverberate with a laugh.

"Surprise," he smiled, hugging me back.

Not caring that Charlie was only a few feet away from us and watching, I kissed Edward, hard. Maybe with a little tongue.

It wasn't until Charlie cleared his breath loudly and muttered something under his breath did I realize what I was doing.

"Oops, sorry..." I said, feeling my face turn bright red. "Hi, Dad. It's good to see you too."

Charlie barked out a laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure it is. I missed you too, Bells. Come on now, let's get going. You can tell us all about your trip on the drive home."

* * *

So, Bella is a big sister now. Next chapter is the start of senior year. Remember when I said this fic was going to be 22 chapters? Yeah...not happening. But from here the time should speed up a little bit.

I actually had this chapter ready to post for three days before deciding to post it. I had a little case of posting anxiety and wanted this chapter to be just right.

Leave a review if you'd like and I'll reply back with a teaser.

I hope you guys all have a Happy Halloween!


	22. Chapter 22

Hi guys. oops, I forgot to send out review replies. But this is better, right? See you at the bottom.

* * *

"So, do you want to go buy school supplies in PA tomorrow?" Edward asked, climbing out of the back seat of the car. The drive back to Forks had taken almost four hours due to traffic and all I wanted to do was go home and nap.

"Yeah, I'll text you in the morning and let you know when I'm ready," I told him, yawning. "I might want to sleep in."

"Okay, bye, Bella. Bye, Chief," Edward said, shutting the door.

"That was nice that you let him come," I told my dad as we pulled away from the front of Edward's house.

"Yeah, well. I saw him a couple times around town looking all mopey. I thought he might want to tag along."

"Aww, Dad. You big softy," I joked.

"Well, I guess Edwards not a bad guy. You could have done a lot worse."

When I didn't respond, he added. "Just don't tell him I told you that. I still want a bit of that fear in him."

The weekend had gone by fast. On Saturday, Edward and I had gone to Port Angeles early in the afternoon to go to the Office Max there, then went to the downtown area to eat and walk around.

Sunday night, I couldn't sleep. I was feeling anxious about the next day. The plan was that Edward would come and pick me up and then we would go to registration together to pick up our schedules. Hopefully, we would be able to be in some of the same classes.

Too soon though, it was Monday morning.

I was really dreading seeing the classmates I had been able to avoid over the summer. I hoped that over the course of the summer, Edward and I would have been virtually forgotten. Maybe there would be another new kid this year?

The only upside to going back would be to see James and Victoria. I hadn't really gotten to spend too much time with them over the summer.

I moved around quietly in the morning; Dad had worked late and came home sometime in the middle of the night.

At 7:30, Edward picked me up.

"Good morning," I greeted him, leaning over the console and kissing him.

"Morning," Edward smiled back. "So, are you ready for today?"

"Ugh," I groaned. "Can't we just pretend we're on the way to the beach or something? Even if it's just for the five minutes we're in the car?"

"So dramatic," Edward sighed, jokingly.

0-0

"See? Not that bad," Edward said when we reached the auditorium for registration.

I arched my brow at him. "Okay, Edward. Not that bad. Sure." Honestly, it wasn't that bad. I hadn't seen Victoria or James yet and for the most part, people have ignored me other than a few weird looks.

I had an idea that my change of feelings on the date might once again change if I ran into Lauren or Jessica.

"So, I guess we better get in line," I said, looking around. There were four different lines for each grade, broken down into first letter of your last name. Since Edward was C and I was S, we were basically at opposite ends of the line.

"Okay, then we'll meet in the library and compare schedules?"

"Sounds good," Edward said. He gave my hand a quick squeeze then walked over to his line.

I sighed deeply and headed over to my line, trying to ignore the annoying feeling that I was being watched.

After a few minutes of a barely moving line, I lost myself in thought until I was sharply jolted back to reality with a kick to my ankle.

"Ouch," I muttered, turning around.

Of course.

"Hey, Bella!" Jessica and Lauren grinned at me widely. I looked down at Laurens feet to see her wearing pointed boots.

"Hello."

"Aww, come on, Bella. I haven't seen you all summer, aren't you happy to see me?"

"No, really," I laughed. "What do you want, Lauren? Can't you just leave me alone?"

Lauren smirked. "I don't_ want _anything. I just came by to say hi and see how your summer was."

"Well, my summer was great, Lauren. It was awesome. Now can you leave me alone? You're not even in the right line."

"I know. But I've already registered and now I'm waiting with Jessica."

I nodded. Right. Jessica Stanley.

After that, they seemed to ignore me and were chatting mindlessly behind me. The line went by slowly, but finally, I was able to register for classes and get my schedule.

"Bye, Bella!" Lauren called enthusiastically at me.

I ignored her, but caught Jessica's gaze. It looked almost...apologetic?

Whatever. I just wanted to go to the library and see Edward.

The library, like usual, was pretty much empty. There was still an hour left until we had to go to our classes, so most people were still in line or hanging out in the quad.

"So, how'd it go?" Edward asked. I sat down besides him on the ground in one of the back rows of books.

"Ugh. I take back what I said earlier. This year already is starting bad. I ran into Lauren and Jess in line." I scooted closer to Edward and laid my head on his shoulder.

"Uh, oh. Wanna tell me what happened?"

I sighed, then filled him in on what had happened in the last thirty minutes.

"Don't worry about them, Bella. The fact that they've held onto this...whatever it is over the entire summer and are still acting like jerks just shows how pathetic they are."  
"Well, I would say bitches," I giggled into his shoulder. "But yeah, you're right."

"Good, so, changing subjects. How about we compare our schedules now?"

I pulled my schedule out from my bag to compare. First period I had Women Writers, Edward had a prep period."

"Ohh, lucky. You get to sleep in in the mornings!"

"Nah, I'll probably mostly get to school early anyways. Plus I can still give you a lift in the mornings."

"Aww," I cooed, "You're so sweet. Let's see what else."

For second period, I had PE...yuck. Edward had Pre Calc. Third period I had Pre Calc, Edward had PE. Fourth, I had a prep period while Edward had analysis of Shakespeare.

"Shakespeare, Edward? Seriously?" I laughed.

"I don't know what happened. I don't think I got first pick of any of my classes. This sucks."

I scanned our fifth period classes.

"You have Auto? Since when have you ever wanted to work on cars?"

"Yeah, I think Auto was my last class choice. I wanted to take a computer class but I guess I didn't get in to any of them," Edward sighed. "Cars really aren't my thing."

"I have Foods that period. Maybe you could talk to the counselor and see if you can get into my class? You might like cooking more than cars."

Edward nodded. "Yeah, I'll see if I can move that around a bit. But look, we have last period together. Physics."

"Oh joy," I rolled my eyes. "I hate science. Ang said that it was hard. If _she _thought it was a hard class, what am I gonna think?"

"I like science," Edward said, squeezing my knee. I can help you. Hopefully we can be lab partners again."

"Definitely," I agreed.

The bell rang a little while later, signalling the start of school. Each class was only twenty minutes on the first day, just enough time for us to get a syllabus and the inevitable, stupid, 'getting to know you' game out of the way.

Jessica ended up being in my Women's Lit class. She sat two seats behind me and to the left.

Maybe I was being paranoid, but I felt her gaze burning holes in the back of my head.

I didn't have Victoria in any of my classes and luckily no Rose or Lauren.

James was in my Foods class, and I had a feeling he signed up for the class so he could have food after he smoked weed. It was just an added bonus for him that the class was the period right after lunch.

Edward and I had been able to secure a table in the back of the class.

Newton was in our class as well, but he was sitting up near the front of the classroom. I had tensed as I walked past him on my way to Edward in the back, but he didn't say anything to me.

At the end of the day, as Edward and I walked together down the halls of the school towards the parking lot, I began to feel more confident and think that maybe he actually had been right about this year being better.

And the first week of school did go better.

Sure, Lauren was still being a bitch, giving me snide looks every time I saw her, and yeah, I could still tell when someone was saying something about me. But other than that, it was okay.

As okay as high school ever is.

But what was not okay? My birthday was the next day.

Yeah, my eighteenth birthday.

I know, most people were excited about turning eighteen and entering adulthood, and so was I, I just wasn't looking forward to the celebrating aspect of the day.

When I had been over at Edwards a few days earlier, his mom asked what my plans were. When I shrugged and said I didn't think I would be doing anything, she instantly went into planning mode.

"Bella, it's your eighteenth birthday. You have to do something. What if I cook a nice dinner and you and your dad come over?" Esme suggested.

"Oh, no. I really don't want to put you out or anything," I told her, shaking my head.

"Nonsense," she insisted. "It won't be anything big, just dinner and cake. What do you say?"

Esme was smiling so brightly at me, I couldn't find it in myself to say no again.

"Okay, dinner sounds nice. Thank you, Esme," I told her sincerely.

"It's nothing, Bella," she said, waving me off. "Now, you think about what you want for dinner and I'll make sure it happens."

That brought me to Thursday morning. The day of my birthday.

I had overslept, and after rushing through my morning routine, I checked my phone to see that Edward had already been waiting for me outside for the past five minutes.

I grabbed my book bag by the door and skipped down the steps towards Edwards car.

"Good morning, happy birthday," Edward smiled.

I leaned over to kiss him. "Thanks! Good morning to you, too."

"I got you something," Edward nudged his head toward one of the coffee cups from Mocha Motion that was in the cup holder.

I picked up the cup and took a sip from it. "Yum, Mocha."

"That's not all," Edward said, opening up the center console and pulling out a chocolate muffin with a candle in it. "Sorry, I don't have matches or a lighter, so you have to pretend."

"Oh my god," I giggled. I took the muffin from him and a ripped off a piece, popping it my mouth. "You are an awesome boyfriend."

"So, do you feel any older? After school are you going to go buy cigarettes and a lottery ticket?" Edward joked, pulling away from the curb.

"Oh, yeah," I played along. "Want me to pick up a Playboy for you as well?"

Edward let out a strangled laugh and when I turned to look at him, I saw his face was turning bright red.

"Kidding, Edward," I told him, slapping his arm. "Playboy is gross, anyways."

"Right," he agreed, nodding his head. "Gross."

0-0

The rest of the school day went by uneventfully. When Rose passed me in the hall, she gave me a slight smile and a quiet 'happy birthday.'

During Lunch, Victoria and James gave me a card with a giftcard to a bookstore in Port Angeles inside of it. James had also given Edward and I a hard time, calling me a cradle robber and asking Edward how it felt to be dating an older woman.

Other than that, Alice, Jane and Angela sent me 'happy birthday' texts.

After school, Edward dropped me off at home so I could do some homework and get ready for the dinner.

Instead of getting any homework done, Renee called and we ended up talking for almost two hours. She even put the phone to Dot's ear so I could talk to her.

At 6:30, Charlie and I went over to Edwards.

Even though we weren't going to a restaurant or anything, I still dressed a little nicer than I usually do, opting for a pair of dark wash jeans and a nice blouse.

I tried to help Esme in the kitchen, but she insisted that I was the guest of honor and that Edward would be helping her while I watched the game on TV with Carlisle and Dad.

The dinner was really good. I had told Esme that I really liked chicken fettuccine Alfredo with broccoli, so she made that along with a salad and garlic bread.

I thought it would be pretty simple for her to make, but no. Her sauce was homemade, even the garlic bread was homemade.

It was delicious.

For dessert, Esme made my favorite, Banana Cream Pie. Sure, it wasn't the traditional birthday cake, but it was way better.

"Okay, Bella. Are you ready for your presents?" Esme asked. We were all sitting in the living room, the parents on the couch and Edward and me on a chair, with him sitting on the arm.

"Yup," I nodded. "Although really, the dinner was amazing, you didn't have to get me a gift on top of that."

"Please, you only turn eighteen once. Here, Bella," Carlisle took an envelope off of the coffee table and handed it to me.

I took the card out and opened it, a thirty dollar iTunes giftcard fell out. "Wow, thanks! I've been wanting to add new music to my iPod," I told Edward parents.

"Good," Esme smiled, looking pleased.

"Okay, now do you want to open mine, or your moms first," Charlie asked.

"Yours," I said, reaching for the gift bag he had brought with him.

Charlie couldn't wrap gifts at all, so the present was just loosely wrapped in tissue paper. "Oh my god. Dad! Thanks so much!" I stood up to hug him.

"Glad you like it. I thought since you're always going out and doing things you might like to take some pictures."

Charlie had gotten me a new digital camera. Looking inside the bag, there was also a photo album as well.

"No, this is great. Really," I told him, sitting back down.

"It also kinda ties in with your moms gift too." Charlie handed me a larger envelope. I ran my finger under the flap, flinching when I felt a sting.

"Ouch. Paper cut." I put my finger in my mouth, sucking on it to ease the pain. The metallic taste of blood made me cringe.

"Oh, no. Do you need a band-aid?" Esme asked, starting to stand up.

"Nope, I'm good. It's just a little cut. I'm better now," I told her. I finished opening up the envelope and pulled out another smaller one.

"Airfare vouchers?" I asked.

Charlie nodded. "Yup, your mom and Phil got you two tickets for you to go to Jacksonville. She was thinking you could go during Winter break. It'll be a nice break from the rain and snow."

"Yeah, I agreed. But why two? Are you coming with me?" I asked. I glanced over to Edward, who had a huge grin on his face.

"Well, she thought it would be nice for Edward to go with you. Plus, I know she wants to meet him and you'd like for Edward to meet Peridot."

"Are you serious?" I squealed. When Charlie nodded, I turned to Edward. "You knew?"

Edward shrugged. "Yeah."

"You jerk!" I threw a wad of tissue paper at him. "You knew and didn't say anything to me?"

Edward tossed the paper back at me. "Duh. It was supposed to be a surprise."

"Well, I'm surprised." I turned to my dad. "Thanks for all this, really. I'll call Mom in the morning."

"Okay, so my present is in the tv room. Come with me to get it?" Edward asked, standing up.

"Uhh, sure," I agreed, standing up and following him into the other room.

"So, is this like a secret present or something? I asked, sitting down on the couch.

"I just wanted to give it to you privately... I thought it would feel awkward giving it to you in front of our parents. Edward pulled a little jewelry box out of his pocket and handed it to me.

I took it from him and opened it. Nestled inside was a small gold anchor charm on a chain.

"It's pretty," I told him, taking it out of the box. "Put it on?"

Edward took it from me and I turned around, lifting my hair out of the way for him.

"I don't know if I can put it on," Edward mumbled, fumbling with the clasp. After a few attempts, he finally got it fastened around my neck.

"There's kind of a meaning to it, as well," Edward rubbed the back of his neck, looking nervous.

"Oh?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "You've just been amazing. Really great. I really didn't want to move to Forks. I mean, I didn't really have any friends in Chicago. I thought it would just be more of the same here. Then I met you and you've made me happy."

I didn't know what to say. I felt like if I opened my mouth to respond, I would just start crying. Instead, I just lept forward to hug and kiss him.

"Basically, I guess the anchor is saying that you are my anchor," Edward said after I finished kissing him. "Wow, that kind of sounds a lot more cheesy than when I picked out the necklace."

"I love it," I told him, fingering the charm. "It's really sweet. I feel the same way about you, too."

"Yeah?" Edward asked, a huge smile on his face.

"Yeah."

"Good. So, how about we get another piece of that pie my mom made?"

* * *

A little note I forgot to include last chapter. Peridot was born in August, the birthstone for August is Peridot. If she had been born on time in September (she was early) she would have had a different name.

Okay, next chapter will jump ahead in time a bit to November/Thanksgiving time.

Next update will be December 24th. Yes. I'm setting a deadline. Hopefully someone else will meet their deadline as well (you know who you are. don't make me name names.)

You can always hold me accountable and tweet me or message me on facebook. Both those things are linked on my profile.

Leave a review and let me know what you think, I'll reply with a teaser!


	23. Chapter 23

Hi!

* * *

September passed quickly and uneventfully.

I fell back into a pattern with school, homework and spending time with Edward and my friends.

Homecoming and Spirit Week had passed the week before. The last two years at Forks I had participated, but this year...this year I didn't exactly feel the school spirit.

Except for Thursday, which had been Pajama Day. While some girls, like Lauren and Jessica used the day to dress in silk nighties, I wore my favorite flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt.

Needless to say, while they were freezing their asses off in barely there clothes, I stayed nice and toasty warm.

The week after Spirit Week was the week of Halloween. Two days before Halloween, on Monday, Edward came over to help me decorate the outside with fake cobwebs, headstones, candy corn lights and a gigantic fuzzy spiderweb.

I invited James, Victoria and Edward over to my house for Halloween. I had rented the first couple of Friday the 13th movies and ordered a pizza. Since my dad was at work, I was also in charge of handing out candy to the kids that came by trick or treating.

A week before Thanksgiving, Edward and I were doing homework at his house when Esme came home.

"Hi, Bella, Edward. Are you getting all your work done?" She asked, setting the groceries on the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, Mom. We're almost done I think," Edward looked over to me and I nodded agreeing.

"Good, good. Oh, Edward. I forgot to tell you, Charlotte and her parents are spending Thanksgiving with us this year. Since we usually spend Thanksgiving together, I thought we'd have them come over here."

"Okay," Edward shrugged. Then turning to me he said, "It's just Charlotte and her parents during the holidays, so when we lived in Chicago, they would come over to our place or we'd go to theirs."

"Well, it'll be fun to see Charlotte," I said. She and I weren't BFF's or anything, but we did sometimes send messages back and forth to each other on Facebook.

"Bella, are you sure you and your Dad can't have Thanksgiving here with us? You know you're always welcomed," Esme asked.

"Oh, no. We're going to La Push to have it with Billy and Sue. But thanks, Esme."

"Okay, dear. But you'll have to come over the day after. It's always a tradition to have our turkey sandwiches the next day. Edward loves them."

0-0

Edward, Charlotte and I were hanging out in his bedroom the day after Thanksgiving. Just like Esme had said, she invited my Dad and me over for turkey sandwiches.

Charlie couldn't make it since he had work, but I went over anyways.

The food has been awesome but afterwards we were all way too stuffed.

"So, Bella. How's Edward treating you?" Charlotte asked.

"Uhh...good? Yeah. Good." I glance over to Edward to see him looking at me and shrugging.

"Ugh. Both of you suck. Edward wouldn't tell me anything either." Charlotte pouts. "Come on, just give me some of the details!"

"I don't don't know..."

"Bella, come on! I'll tell you about Peter and I. There's this thing she does with-" Charlotte starts.

"Wait! No. No, no, no. I don't want to hear about you and Peter. Seriously," I shudder. "What Edward and I do is private...right, Edward?"

Edward nods. "Yeah. Private."

"Fine. You guys suck. Will you at least tell me if Edwards kissing skills have improved?"

I started to laugh, but then wait...what?

"Yeah, I mean, when we kissed it was like...slobber and tongue and ugh," Charlotte shudders, then laughs.

I wasn't laughing. "You guys kissed?" I turned to Edward, but Edward wasn't laughing either. In fact, he looked like a deer in the headlights.

Charlotte noticed that we weren't laughing along with her and abruptly stopped. "You didn't tell her?"

"What do you mean, you didn't tell me?" I asked. A bubble of panic rose into my chest. "What didn't you tell me?"

"And that looks like my cue to leave." Charlotte stood up. "I'm going to go on a walk and work off some of this Thanksgiving food. I'll text before I come back to make sure it's okay. Bye, Bella. Sorry."

I waited until Charlotte had left and closed the door before I turned to face Edward again. He looked panicked.

"Edward?"

"Bella. I'm sorry. I mean, shit. Charlotte is totally making it sound worse than it is and I probably made it worse than it is because I didn't tell you when you first met her," Edward rambled.

"Okay, well. You're freaking me out and Charlotte leaving like that didn't help matters either. So just tell me what's going on."

"When I found out I was moving to Chicago I didn't really take it that great. I mean, I was okay with moving, but I didn't think I would make any new friends here. It's not like I was popular or had any real friends in Chicago, but I had acquaintances and stuff. And Charlotte."

Edward paused.

"Go on," I told him. "Just spit it out, Edward."

"Charlotte wasn't always so sure she liked girls. She met Peter and was confused about how she felt. She thought maybe she liked guys and girls or it was just a fluke. So one day she was telling me that and...God. Okay. This is so embarrassing," Edward groaned.

When I didn't reply, Edward continued. "I wasn't lying when I said I didn't really have any experience with girls...cause I don't. I didn't want to leave Chicago and go to a new state and school without any experience at all, so Charlotte and I thought it would be a good idea to... experiment with each other."

I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. "Experiment? What the hell does that mean, Edward?"

"We kissed."

"Kissed?" I repeated.

"Yeah. And touched, a little. Over the clothes." Edward cringed.

"Oh, well that makes everything better. You only kissed a little and only touched over the clothes. Well that makes everything so much better." I raised my voice, something I very rarely did.

"I'm sorry. It's just...I didn't even really think about it after it happened. We stopped before anything more happened because it was like kissing your sibling. We both agreed that it was a one time thing. I'm pretty sure Charlotte called Peter up right away and told her she liked her," Edward says, laughing.

I couldn't bring myself to laugh with him.

"You lied," I said.

"Bella, it wasn't a lie. I honestly didn't even think about it after it happened. It was an embarrassing one time thing. Please believe that."

I couldn't think clearly. I felt lied to and hurt. "I can't even be here right now. I just need some time, okay? I gotta go."

I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my coat. Edward jumped off the bed and went after me, grabbing my arm to stop me.

"Bella, please. Are you...are you breaking up with me?" Edwards face looked pained, it almost made me want to stay. But I had to get away for just a bit.

"Edward, please. I'll call you or something, okay?" I tried to keep my voice steady and emotions in check, but it was hard.

"Okay. I love you," he said, letting go of my arm.

"I love you too."

0-0

I ignored Charlotte's phone calls. Edward didn't call.

Part of me wished he had called, despite what I told him.

Another part of me knew that I was probably being over dramatic.

I decided not to think about Edward and instead went to bed early.

The next morning, I got up bright and early, feeling like I had barely slept.

Angela and Ben were back in town for Thanksgiving break, but I hadn't seen Ang yet. Instead of braving 5 am Black Friday sales, we decided to go shopping at the mall in Port Angeles the day after.

I tried to not think about Edward and enjoy going shopping with the girls.

It wasn't until four hours into the shopping trip, when we were all sitting down to eat at the food court that it was brought up.

"So, Bella. Something is obviously up. You've been acting weird all day. Did something happen?" Victoria asked, picking at her Chinese food.

"No...totally fine," I lied, looking down at the table.

"Jeez, Bella. You can't lie to save your life," Angela laughed.

"Okay. Fine. So, you know how Edwards old friend and her parents are here for Thanksgiving?" When they both nodded, I continued. "Well, we were all hanging out yesterday and Charlotte asks me if Edwards a better kisser now than he was before."

"What?" Victoria yelled. "And how would she know this? I thought she liked the vag."

I told them what Edward told me and how I left right after. By the end, Victoria looked pissed while Angela looked thoughtful.

"Maybe you should talk to Edward again," she said.

"What, you think she should just forgive him already? I say let him sweat it a bit."

"Right," I shook my head. "You guys are really helpful here."

"Well, I'm just saying he lied, right? If James lied to me about some old 'friend,' then I'd stay mad for a while. Maybe make him grovel a bit?"

"Geez, Vic. That seems a little harsh. Knowing Edward he's probably at home right now beating himself up over it and wondering how he can make it up to Bella."

I sighed. "So, Victoria thinks I should make him grovel. You think I should go talk to him and forgive him. And I don't know what to do."

"Well, it at least gives you something to think about, right?" Victoria asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Anyways, enough about me and my lame problems. Do you guys want to get back to shopping now?"

0-0

After a couple more hours of walking around the mall, we headed back home.

I still wasn't sure about what to do with Edward.

The rest of the day I busied myself with boring stuff like laundry and cleaning.

I promised myself that the next day I would call him. Besides, it would be Sunday and I would have to see him at school on Monday.

I wanted this resolved by then.

The next morning I sent Edward a text, asking him to meet me at our spot in the park.

He agreed, so I made my way over there to wait for him.

Edward arrived a few minutes after me looking a little worse for the wear.

His normally untamed hair looked just a little bit more crazy and behind his glasses I could see the beginnings of dark circles under his eyes.

My poor Edward.

I couldn't help myself. As soon as he got up to me, I kissed him.

When we pulled apart, he looked confused. "Bella, what was that for?"

"What, I can't kiss my boyfriend now?" I teased.

"Does this mean...are you not breaking up with me then?"

"Edward," I sighed and went to sit down on the picnic table. "I think I should apologize for leaving like that on Friday. It's just...I was really hurt. I thought we were always going to be honest with each other."

"I know. I messed up, big time. But I meant what I said, I didn't even think to tell you because it was so insignificant to me. I don't even consider her my first kiss. You're my first kiss. First everything."

I reached up and touched the anchor necklace. "I know. I forgive you for not telling me about it. From now on we really stick with that honesty thing, okay?"

"Okay," Edward agreed. "Charlotte was so pissed at me. She thought that I would have told you when you two first met. Before they left yesterday she kicked me in the uhh..." he motions to his crotch. "In the groin."

"I'm sorry," I said, feeling back for him.

"It really hurt," he pouted.

"Poor baby. Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?" I joked, feeling bold.

Edward's response was what I was looking for. He turned bright red and looked just a little too eager.

"You're such a guy," I said, slapping his chest. "But I'm serious. I didn't like finding out that way. It's not so much that you...kissed her, it's that you lied about. Or not outright lied, but you didn't tell me."

"I know. I'm sorry," Edward sighed.

"Just so you know, my first kiss was with a guy in Phoenix. I was at the end of freshman year. He moved over the summer and I never heard from him again."

"Did you...did you like him?" Edward asked, looking nervous.

I shook my head. "Not really. I mean, he was a nice guy but I wasn't sad or anything when I found out he left."

"Oh, okay."

"Don't worry, there's no competition there. Or anywhere. It's just you," I told him. "Come on, do you want to get lunch?"

* * *

Kinda a short chapter but I wanted to get it out on Christmas Eve day as a sort of present. Tropical Sorbet also updated Edroar the Angry Lion, so go check that out as well! It's an awesome chapter.

I've also started writing a new little drabble-ish fic called Down. I think it's pretty different from WCN. It updates twice a day, for the most part. It's about 20 chapters in now, so go check that out too! See you guys next time!


	24. Chapter 24

Hi guys! I hope you enjoy the chapter, I was nervous with this one.

* * *

Things with Edward went back to normal after our little fight.

I knew I had really overreacted, but I was hurt.

The logical part of my brain knew that Edward hadn't told me to because he wanted to hide it from me or anything like that.

Luckily, Edward had forgiven me for how I acted.

I even called Charlotte and apologized to her. Charlotte thought I had been justified in being mad and that it was okay if I was mad at her as well,

But I just wanted to put it past me.

The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas passed quickly.

Christmas had been just me and my dad in the morning, then Sue, Billy and the kids came over to our place for dinner.

The day after Edward and I left early for Jacksonville.

By early, I meant midnight.

Luckily though, the flight had been a direct one and eight hours after we left, we arrived in Jacksonville.

Edward and I were super tired and just wanted to get to my house to sleep.

Buy my mom was late to pick us up.

Finally though, she called me, saying she was waiting outside for us.

"I'm nervous," Edward admitted as we walked through the airport to where she was waiting for us.

"Don't be nervous. It'll be fine. My mom will love you because I do," I reassured him. It was true, too. She'd seen a few pictures of him and I'd gushed to her about him a few times and I think that she was definitely Team Edward. I just hoped she wouldn't embarrass me in front of him.

Edward had no reason to be nervous.

Me, on the other hand? Oh, yeah.

Of course, my mom was late.

An hour late.

She had assured me that she was going to be on time.

Then she texted and said she would be twenty minutes late.

Then forty.

Finally, she texted saying she would get there as soon as she could.

When she eventually pulled up to get us, she left Dot in the car and made a beeline to Edward.

"Geez, Mom. Great to see you too," I told her, going to the backseat of the car to see Dot.

She had obviously grown a lot since the last time I saw her.

Even from the pictures Renee had sent me last week, Dot looked different.

"Oh, Honey. I just wanted to make your boyfriend feel welcomed," she said, releasing a stunned looking Edward and pulling me into a hug.

"He is good looking," she whispered in my ear. "Definitely a nice young man."

"Mom," I hissed, feeling my face heat. "Don't embarrass me."

"I'm not, I'm not." She turned to Edward. "Now, why don't you sit in the front seat and you can tell me all about yourself while Bella spends some time with her sister.

An hours later we were back at the house.

I was expecting my Mom to insist Edward take the couch, so when she told Edward to take his stuff to my room, I was shocked.

"Oh, come on, Bella," my mom laughs. "You're eighteen, Edward is almost eighteen. I'm not naive. Just don't tell your father. He'd have a cow."

I was to shocked to say anything. My mom thought we were having sex?

I wanted to laugh. Or maybe cry.

Edward and I never really have gotten a chance to be alone long enough for sex.

I didn't want my first time, our first time, to be some super rushed incident.

I wanted us to take our time and not worry about one of our parents walking in on us.

But I knew that we were ready.

I was hoping it would be while we were in Florida.

Four days into our vacation, my mom had finally calmed down some.

Mom and Phil had spent the first few days showing Edward around Jacksonville, causing us to be so exhausted by the time we got home that we both just collapsed in bed and fell asleep.

But on the fourth day, we had the house all to ourselves for the evening.

My Mom and Phil had started doing their weekly date night again. I had offered to watch Dot for the evening instead of their usual babysitter, one of Phil's work friends.

Edward was okay with it as well. I knew he wasn't crazy about children, or babies, but he admitted to really liking Dot.

Even though most of the time she just ate, slept and pooped.

"Bella, don't be silly," Renee told me. "You and Edward haven't gotten any time to be alone. You're on vacation, remember?"

"I remember. But I don't really ever get to see Dot," I told her.

"Well, how about tomorrow you and Edward watch her for a few hours while Phil is working? I'd like to go get my nails done."

"Okay," I agreed, feeling better. "Sounds good."

In the end, we would end up having all Friday evening together.

Alone.

Just the two of us.

0-0

Friday morning, I woke up early, unable to sleep any longer.

I rolled over in bed to face Edward, who was on his back, mouth open, but luckily not snoring.

"Edward," I whispered. "Wake up."

I waited a minute for him to reply, but he didn't. I nudged him harder and he jolted awake.

"What's wrong?" He asked, grabbing his glasses from the nightstand and looking around.

"Nothing. I just couldn't sleep any more. Do you want to go pick up donuts for breakfast?"

"What time is it?" He asked, looking over at the clock. "Bella, it's six. Let's sleep."

"Pleasee?" I begged. "I'm not tired."

"Ugh," Edward groaned. "Fine."

Twenty minutes later we were walking to the donut shop a few blocks away. On the way there, we passed a drug store.

I stopped in front of it.

"Hey, can you get the donuts? I just want to stop in here and pick up some stuff."

"Sure," Edward said.

He kissed me on the cheek and said he'd meet me back out front in a bit.

I was nervous inside the store.

There were so many types of condoms, I didn't know which to pick.

So I grabbed a twenty-four count box that was on sale.

I felt awkward buying just the condoms, so I browsed through the magazines, grabbing Cosmo and People. At the register, I stopped and picked out a pack of gum.

I was pretty sure that my face was bright red the entire time that the cashier was ringing me up. To avoid any sort of conversation, I took my phone out of my pocket and played with it.

Finally, I paid and went outside to find Edward already waiting for me.

"Hey, got you an iced coffee as well," he said, holding the cup out to me.

"Thanks," I smiled, taking it from him and taking a sip. "It's good."

"Did you get everything you needed?" he asked.

"Yup," I smiled. "I did."

0-0

"Okay, kids, we're heading out now. We'll be back around midnight," my mom said, taking the diaper bag from me. Phil was already waiting the car with Dot, who was going to be dropped off at the babysitters.

"Alright, have fun," I told her.

"You too. Remember, call me if you need anything. I also gave the sitter your number just in case I miss it," she reminded me.

"Got it. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine," I assured her, looking back behind me at Edward.

"I know, I know. Okay, we're going to miss our reservations if I don't get a move on. Have fun, kids. Be safe!" she said, then winked at me as she turned around and left.

I felt a moment of panic, thinking that she was onto our plans for the night.

Had she gone into my room and seen the box of condoms I had slipped in the bottom of my suitcase?

I shook my head, I sounded crazy.

"So, what do you want to do?" Edward asked. "We could order a pizza?"

"Maybe later? I'm not really hungry right now." It was true. I felt butterflies rise in my stomach. There was no way I could eat right now.

"Okay," Edward shrugged.

"Do you wanna go watch TV in our room?" I asked. I wanted to get Edward upstairs and in my bedroom.

Edward looked confusedly at the gigantic flat screen TV in the living room. He was probably wondering why I would want to watch TV in my room on the tiny old television.

"We could like...make out a bit?" I suggested. "The bed is more comfy than the couch."

Realization dawned on Edwards face. "Ohh...okay. Race you!"

Just like that, Edward took off for the stairs, by the time I processed his words, he was already waiting for me at the top.

I sprinted up the stairs and grabbed him into a kiss, pushing him backward to my bed.

Edward scooted up the bed until he was laying with his head against the pillow withe me straddling his hips.

His hands gripped me firmly on the waist as I slowly started to rock back and forth on him.

I leaned down to kiss him before coming back up and fumbling with the bottom of my shirt, I swallowed my insecurities before pulling it over my head and flinging it on the floor.

"Bella, what are you doing?"

"I want you," I told him honestly.

"You have me," he replied instantly. He looked at me in confusion.

"I think it's time. I want us to have sex," I blurted out.

"Sex?"

"Sex," I clarified.

"Are you sure? Now? Here?"

Edward still looked confused and unsure, which made me feel like this was all a big mistake.

Then the embarrassment set in.

"I'm an idiot," I said, moving off of him to the side of the bed. He didn't want to have sex with me.

"Stop it," Edward said, sitting up. "I know you're worrying yourself. Believe me, I want it too. This just...seems so out of the blue."

"Out of the blue?" I scoffed. "Edward, we've been dating for months. Most people would have had sex by now. I want to have sex. With you. I'm ready. I'm positive. I thought you would be too."

"Come here," Edward said, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me down beside him.

He made a line of kisses down my face from my forehead until he got to my lips.

"We don't have condoms," he pointed out.

"Umm...we do," I clarified, suddenly feeling shy. "Yesterday at the the drug store, when I said I wanted to pick something up, well...it was the condoms. Plus, I'm on the pill. We're covered."

"So we're going to do this then?"

"Yes, if you want."

Edward smiled hugely. "I want."

"Good," I smiled coyly then scooted to the end of the bed where my suitcase was on the floor. I dug around until I found the box and tossed them over to Edward.

"Durex Extra Sensitive," Edward read out loud. I crawled back up the bed and laid down next to him. His face tinged pink. "Twenty-four pack. Bella, why do we need so many?"

"I don't know!" I shrugged. "I just thought it would be a good idea to be extra prepared."

I turned to look at him and noticed the funny look on his face.

I leaned forward and kissed him.

He rolled me over until I was on my back with him on top of me.

We broke the kiss just long enough for me to get his shirt pulled off of him.

With shaky, nervous hands I unbuttoned his jeans and waited as Edward pulled them down and off of him, kicking them to where my shirt was.

He rested up higher on his arms while I shimmied out of my yoga pants, giggling as he collapsed back down on me.

I shut up when I felt him hard through his boxers against my stomach.

"We're really gonna do this?" Edward asked, looking into my eyes.

"Yeah," I tried to keep the nervousness out of my voice. "We are."

"I love you."

"I love you too," I replied.

I awkwardly reached behind me to unclasp my bra. I was nervous about Edward seeing me, all of me, but I took comfort in the fact that the room was dimly lit.

He looked down at my chest then back up to me. "You're so beautiful."

"Thanks. You are too," I replied.

Edward laughed and shook his head.

He went back to kissing me, then worked his way down my jaw to throat and collarbones.

I whimpered when he brought one of his hands up to cup my breast, kneading it gently before tugging at the nipple.

I arched up, rubbing myself against his erection, causing Edward to groan.

The hand that was working at my chest trailed down my stomach to my underwear, playing with the waistband of it before slipping his hand inside.

I bit my lip to keep from crying out as his fingers found my clit and started to rub. I looked up at Edward to see his face deep in concentration.

My hands were still laying limply on the bed beside me, so I wrapped one around the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. With the other hand, I worked his boxers down his legs, pulling them down the rest of the way with my feet

Edward, taking notice of my actions, stopped what he was doing and leaned over for the box of condoms. He was trying to open it one handed and ended up dropping the box, spilling the condoms on the floor.

I giggled again.

"Shit," he muttered, reaching down to grab a strip of them. He quickly tore one off and ripped the package open.

"Do you know how to put it on?" I asked.

Edward nodded, looking embarrassed.

I didn't reply, instead watching him as he took the condom out and rolled it down over him.

Once it was on, he went back to kissing me.

I reached down between us and grabbed his erection.

"You're sure?" Edward asked again.

"Yeah," I nodded, my voice shaky. "I'm positive."

Edward looked at me, trying to see if I was lying.

"I'm just nervous. It's gonna hurt," I told him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It's okay. Just... do it fast. Like ripping off a band-aid."

He nodded and lowered his hips enough for me to line him up, the head barely pushing inside of me.

I moved my hand away just as Edward thrust into me.

"Oh, God," Edward muttered, dropping his head on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

I was, but I wasn't. Sure, it hurt, kind of a lot but I had expected worse. I took a couple deep breathes and tried to relax. "Yeah. Keep going."

He pulled out and thrust back in again. After a few thrusts, his movements became more erratic until he stilled all the way inside me, grunting as he came.

I ran my hand up his spine to his hair, pushing it off his forehead.

"I'm sorry," were the first words out of his mouth.

"What?" I asked, confused. That wasn't exactly what I expected him to say.

"That was over so fast. You didn't...you know."

I smiled. We just had sex and he still couldn't say it?

"Edward, I didn't expect to. It's okay. It was good. Better than I thought. Besides, this was just the first of many times," I reassured him. "But...did you enjoy it?"

Edward lifted his head up and looked at me, rolling over to his side. "Of course I did, Bella."

"Good," I smiled brightly.

0-0

Edward took off the condom and tied up shut, tossing it in the garbage can. I made a mental note to take the trash out before my mom got home.

We laid there for a little while longer, not speaking.

Eventually though, my stomach grumbled and Edward noticed.

"Want me to order that pizza now?" Edward asked.

"Yeah," stretched. "Pepperoni?"

"Of course," he smiled.

"I'm going to take a quick shower while you order. Then you can take one if you want."

Edward nodded and got off the bed, finding his boxers and t-shirt.

I felt shy suddenly, and quickly reached for my own shirt, putting it on. It didn't even begin to cover my butt, so I made a quick dash for the bathroom.

Once I was in the shower under the heat of the water, I couldn't help the huge smile that took over my face and the giggles that erupted from me.

* * *

So...they lost their v-cards.

I added a few pics to my blog (links on profile), including a pic of baby Dot.

A little rec for you guys. My birthday was a few weeks ago and I received 2 o/s's as presents.

So, go check out HELLO KITTY by StewsBrownSugr and PLUCKED by Tropical Sorbet.

HELLO KITTY: _Here Kitty Kitty. Hungover Edward and his dirty male mind get him and his "Amigo" into trouble. No Zombies, Hookers, Vegetables, or Farm Animals were hurt while writing. M for language, Adult situations. O/S_

Just add /s/7809438/1/HELLO_KITTY to the end of the websites url.

HK is super funny and dirty. She's a first time author, so go read and review.

PLUCKED: _Life on the farm was all Bella Swan ever knew … until one day a copper topped stranger showed up at Cullen Poultry and ruffled more than just a few feathers. AH/AU One Shot_ /s/7770510/1/PLUCKED

Anyway, let me know what you thought of the chapter by leaving a review!


	25. Chapter 25

By the time everyone got home, Edward and I were both showered, had eaten and were now sitting on the couch together, watching TV.

"You kids have fun?" Phil whispered, taking a sleeping Dot from my mom.

"Yeah, it was okay. We just watched TV and ordered pizza." I reached over and pinched Edwards thigh when no one was looking. His whole body was tense and I knew that Phil or Mom would catch on and think something was up.

The light pinch worked because Edward glanced over at me and instantly relaxed his body.

"Are you two going to stay up longer?" My mom asked. "I think Phil and I are going to put Dot to bed and then go ourselves."

I shrugged and looked at Edward. "Yeah. I think we'll go to bed. I'm pretty sleepy."

I leaned forward to get the remote and turned the TV off.

We stood up and headed upstairs behind my parents.

0-0

"How do you feel?" Edward asked once we got up to my room. "Are you sore?"

"No," I said, taking a minute to asses how I felt. "Well, actually a little I guess. Just achy."

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

I rolled my eyes. "Edward, I knew it would hurt. I'll just pop a couple of Motrin and I'll be fine."

Edward climbed into bed while I took the pills. I got in after him and immediately went to snuggle into his side.

The next morning I woke late and saw that Edward had already gotten up.

Going downstairs, I found Edward sitting on the couch with Dot.

"Where's Mom?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"She went to the grocery store and asked if I could watch Dot for her."

I went over to the couch and sat down next to them, reaching for Dot.

She instantly started to fuss.

Pouting, I instead reached for the remote.

That was the thing. Dot _loved_ Edward. I was pretty sure that if she was old enough to have crushes on guys, she would be fighting me for Edward.

If he was in the room and she saw him, her face would light up and she would start reaching for him.

Mom and Phil thought it was really cute. Edward was a little embarrassed by it.

I was a little embarrassed by the fact that it made me feel a little jealous and possessive of the attention he would give her.

I knew it was completely irrational and my mom would tease me about it.

But still, weren't there other boys her age for her ogle?

0-0

The next day was Sunday, the day we were going back to Forks.

We had to go back to school on Monday, but with the knowledge that it was the final semester of high school, I wasn't dreading it too much.

"Oh, honey. I'm going to miss you!" My mom said, hugging me tight and kissing my cheek.

She had already given Edward the same treatment.

"Are you going to come out for Spring Break?"

"I don't know. I'll see. Maybe you could come out to Forks?" I asked, knowing well that she wouldn't. She hadn't been in years and I knew that my graduation in June would be the only thing to bring her back.

"Of course, Bella," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "You better get going. Have a safe flight and call me when you get back!"

"Okay, Mom," I replied.

We did one last round of goodbyes before heading out to wait for our plane.

"Did you have fun?" I asked Edward as we waited for our plane to take off.

"I did," he nodded, grabbing my hand. "Too bad we have to go back now to the real world."

0-0

School started to pick up when we went back the next day, which really sucked for me because I had a horrible case of Senioritis.

I found myself so busy studying and doing homework that I hardly got to see Edward outside of school.

We even skipped out on Valentines day, deciding that it wasn't really a big deal and we could celebrate it another day. Edward did surprise me with a box of my favorite chocolates, though.

What bothered me the most though, was that we had only had sex a few times since Florida.

I was starting to think that maybe he didn't actually want me.

I just wasn't sure how to bring it up to him.

Edward was too nice to ever say anything that he thought would hurt my feelings and he liked to avoid confrontation unless it was completely necessary.

So it was up to me.

We were at his house, making out on his bed.

Both his parents were gone, Carlisle was at work and Esme was with friends.

We had a guaranteed couple of hours alone.

I pushed Edward onto his back so I was half on top of him and reached down to the zipper of his jeans with the hand that wasn't supporting me.

Around now was the time that he would stop me and say we had to get back to studying.

So I wasn't too surprised when he grabbed my by the wrist to stop me.

"Bella, we should be doing homework."

"Ugh!" I groaned, rolling off of him and sitting, swinging my legs over the side of his bed.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked.

I turned my head and shot him a dirty look. That look faltered though when I saw how honestly confused he looked.

"Are you kidding me right now?" I asked, running a hand through my hair.

"No?" he asked, making it sound like a question.

"Sex, Edward. Sex. We've barely had any since the first time. Is it...did you change your mind? Do you not want me?"

I cringed at how insecure I sounded.

"Of course I do, Bella. Come on. I love you and I'm a guy. I think about it a lot," he laughed, sitting up.

"Then what is it?" I still couldn't figure out why he would always stop us before we got anywhere.

"It's dumb, I guess. I thought you weren't enjoying it and you did it just for my sake. I mean...I know you don't come."

I didn't know what to say to that.

It was true, he never had made me come during sex and sure, I wish it would happen but I figured it would...come eventually. I didn't know how to tell him what I wanted. What I needed.

I had thought of asking Victoria about it, or maybe Angela, but even the idea of asking them made me uncomfortable.

"It is good for me, Edward. It feels good and I like being that close to you.

"What if we just tried different things?" I suggested.

"Different things?"

"You know...positions." I felt my face flush and brought my head to my hands.

Edward was silent for a minute and I was about to tell him to forget it.

"Okay."

"Okay?" I asked, clarifying.

"Let's try different things."

I smiled and crawled back on the bed so I was on top of Edward.

Our clothes were pulled off quickly and with just as much speed, we got under the covers, still in our underwear, but those were quickly shed as well.

He was kissing me gently all over from my lips down to my neck and back and his hand snaked between us and slipped into my underwear to rub my clit and sink a finger into me.

I squirmed and gasped under his actions, but it still just wasn't enough.

Reaching down, I tugged on his boxers, hinting at him to take them off as I followed suit.

He grabbed a condom from his nightstand and rolled it on.

Then we were naked and he was hard and _right there. _

With one thrust of his hips he was in me.

"Fuck," he muttered.

I loved that he only swore when we were like this.

After giving himself a minute to adjust, he slowly started rocking his hips into mine, not really pulling out, but just pressing every so slightly deeper into me.

Unlike any of the previous times, where my feet sat firmly planted on the bed, I tilted my hips up and wrapped my legs around his waist, ocking my ankles together.

His thrusts faltered, but didn't stop as he acclimated to this new position.

I bit my lip to stop myself from crying out. I was so, so close.

I needed more.

Feeling brave, or maybe just incredibly horny, I grabbed Edwards face in both my hands and pulled it down to mine to kiss.

When I was sure he wasn't going to stop kissing me, I trailed one of my hands down his spine and around his hip until it was between us.

I was nervous about touching myself in front of him, but I hoped he was too caught up in what he was doing to notice.

I let out a low groan when I touched my clit. Edward broke the kiss and looked down, seeing my hand and what it was doing.

"God, you're touching yourself?" he asked. His sounded almost like he was in awe.  
Instead of answering, I let out a quiet whimper.

"Are you close?"

I nodded my head frantically.

My orgasm hit me fast and hard.

When I came down from it, I noticed that Edward had stopped his movements, my legs were so tightly wrapped around him.

I loosened my grip on him and after he thrust a couple more times he came in me with a low groan.

He rolled off of me and we both silently lay there, trying to catch our breath.

"Better?" finally asked, turning to look at me.

"Better."

0-0

Besides school being somewhat stressful, everything was going good.

Until one day in the middle of March when people started talking about their college acceptance letters.

Every day I would come home and check the mail to see if I had gotten mine.

I wasn't really holding my breath about getting accepted to any of the schools.

Charlie told me that we would figure something out if need be.

I kept my worrying to myself, though. Victoria and James hadn't applied anywhere, deciding instead to work their way through community college; they were unsure if college was really for them.

Whenever I brought acceptance letters up to Edward, he would always just shrug it off.

My first rejection letter came from University of Oregon.

But I was accepted to Oregon State, University of Washington and Washington State.

I was offered a partial scholarship to attend University of Washington, but it would still be a stretch to afford it.

I didn't know what to do.

Everything really felt like it was falling apart when I went to dinner at Edwards house.

I hadn't seen his parents in a couple weeks, since they were never home when I was over, so when Edward asked me to stay for dinner, I agreed.

"Oh, Bella. Aren't you just so proud of Edward?" Esme asked when we were sitting down to eat.

"Um, yeah," I said, unsure of why she was asking me that.

"Mom," Edward said in a low voice.

"Hush, Edward. You should be proud. You're going to Stanford!" She beamed at her son, completely oblivious to my confusion.

Carlisle, picking up that I had no clue what was going on gave me an apologetic smile and then distracted Esme with a question about her volunteer work.

I sat in silence.

Stanford?

What did Esme mean?

Edward was accepted to Stanford and intended to go without even telling me about it?

I suddenly felt sick.

"Excuse me, I just need to go to the restroom," I bolted out of my seat before Esme could ask what was wrong.

"Bella, wait!" Edward ran after me as I dashed up the stairs and into his bathroom. I locked the door behind me.

"I'm sorry!" he called through the door. "I'm an idiot. Please open the door."

I stayed silent and sat down on the toilet lid.

"Don't ignore me, please. I know you're in there. I'm so sorry."

I dropped my head in my hands and sniffed. I didn't want to cry. Not here, at least.

"Go away, please," I said. "I just want to go home."

"I drove you," he pointed out.

"Well...I'll walk home."

"Just talk to me, please?" he begged.

"What? Like you talked to me?" I shot back.

"Open the door."

I groaned and stood up. I knew I'd have to leave the bathroom eventually. Might as well get it over with.

When I opened the door and peeked out, Edward started to apologize again.

"Can we talk? Tell me what happened," I said, walking toward his room.

After I sat down on the couch, Edward shut the door behind him and went to sit down next to me.

"How long have you known?" I asked.

"A few weeks," he looked down at his lap. "I should have told you."

"Yeah, you should have. I've been talking about college ever since I started getting letters."

"I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't think I would get into Stanford and then I did...I just knew that's where I wanted to go."

"And you didn't think I deserved to know? What, I was supposed to play out the last few months of school all happy and ignorant that you would be going to a different state at the end of summer?"

"That's not it at all. I don't know why I didn't tell you. I hate that you had to hear it from my mom and you were caught off guard like that. Tell me how to make it right," he begged.

I didn't know what to tell him. I supposed part of this was my fault. I knew that he would be going to college. I knew the schools he applied to. I just didn't think that he would accept admittance at a school without even talking to me about it first. Did I even matter?

"What's going to happen to us after high school?"

"What?" Edward asked, sounding confused. "Nothing. I mean, it's still you and me. Always."

"But how?" I asked. "I didn't apply to schools in California."

"We can visit each other. Not just during holidays, but long weekends. Texts, emails, anything."

"Edward, you know I can't afford to just fly down to California. I can hardly afford college as it is." I started to feel like I was going to cry again. Everything felt so hopeless.

"We can make this work. I don't want to be like those couples in high school that know there's an end to their relationship and just wait it out until we have to part ways. You mean so much to me."

"I obviously don't mean enough to you to keep you here." As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I want to take them back. I don't really believe what I had just said. I knew he loved me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"No, I deserve it, I guess." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I really messed this up, didn't I?"

I laughed humorlessly, feeling a few tears slip out of my eyes.

"Hey, don't cry." Edward scooted closer to me, wrapping his arm around me. I let my head fall onto his shoulder.

"Everything is gonna work out, okay? We'll figure this out."

I just wished I could truly believe him.

* * *

A little bit of trouble, but a lot of high school couples face that as well.

Story is winding down. Leave a review and let me know what you think.

See you next time!


	26. Chapter 26

Ready for some teenage angst?

* * *

For the next two weeks, I moped around. A lot.

Edward tried to act like everything was normal, but it didn't help.

I felt like our relationship had an expiration date on it.

Part of me thought that maybe it would just be better if we broke up now.

Why prolong the inevitable, right?

But the thought of breaking up with him felt like a knife to my stomach.

I couldn't do that and then have to see him every day at school.

No way.

But I still found myself unintentionally distancing myself from Edward.

Friday night found me sitting at home, doing homework at the dining room table.

My dad was due home any minute and I had his plate of food waiting for him in the oven.

I was so spaced out, staring at my history textbook that I didn't even notice him come in.

"Hey, Bells," he greeted me, placing a hand on my back.

I jumped, startled.

"Hi, Dad. Sorry. I guess I'm a little spacey tonight." I leaned back in my chair and pushed my book away from me.

"Just tonight?" he grumbled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I shot back defensively.

"Nothing, nothing," he replied, his hands up in surrender. "Just that you've been...off the last couple of weeks. That's all."

"Well, I'm fine," I insisted. "Anyway, your dinner is in the oven."

Charlie nodded and went over to get his food, then sat at the table across from me. "You eaten yet?"

"No, I'm not really hungry. Maybe later."

He sighed and set down his fork. "Okay. That's enough. What's going on, Bella?"

"What are you talked about?" I asked, playing dumb. "Nothings going on."

"Hah. Yeah, right. Do you miss your mom and Dot?" he asked.

"Of course I do. But that's not what's bothering me. Really. I'm fine," I insisted again.

"Sorry, Bella. But I say that's BS. Did something happen at school? Did you get in a fight with Edward?"

I sat silent, feeling like I was going to cry.

"It's Edward, isn't it. What did that boy do? I thought putting the fear of God in him would be enough." Dad was more or less talking to himself at this point. I watched as he stood and followed him out to the living room where he was getting his coat and shoes.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To the Cullens. I need to have a talk with Edward," he huffed.

"Oh, no no no." I ran around him and stood in front of the door. "Seriously. Don't. Edward didn't do anything. It's me. I'm just being stupid."

When I was certain that he wasn't going to go after Edward, I sat down on the couch, beckoning him to follow me.

"Edward is going to go to Stanford. He didn't even talk to me about it first. He just...applied and accepted without telling me!" I bit my lip, trying to hold back tears.

"Okay...and?" Dad asked, sounding clueless.

"And what? He's going to Stanford. In California. I'm in Washington."

"Ohh," he replied, finally getting it.

"Yeah, oh," I bit back. "He's going to be states away from me! I didn't apply to schools in California. I can't even afford to go to school in California. Edward and I only have months left to be together!"

"I understand, Bella. I assume you want to stay together?" I nodded. "Well, you can make it work."

I glared at him. "Seriously, Dad? Those are your words of wisdom? The odds of a long distance college relationship lasting are like...slim to none. It's doomed from the start!"

Feeling the tears bubbling over, I stood and ran upstairs.

Life sucked.

0-0

Another week passed by and it was now the second week of April.

Easter had passed by quietly. My dad had work and I politely declined Edwards invitation to dinner at his house.

At school, Edward and I spent lunches together.

After school, I only saw him twice.

Even my dad started tiptoeing around me after my little outburst.

I was miserable.

I was probably being a little dramatic and immature about everything, but I couldn't help it.

I didn't care.

The only person who really seemed to get why I was so upset was Victoria. She didn't think I was being stupid over it. So, I found myself hanging out more with her every day after school before she would go over to James'.

"You know, he's worried about you," Victoria said.

We were sitting on my living room couch watching TV, a gigantic bowl of popcorn between us.

"Who?" I asked.

"Edward. He talks to James. They've been hanging out like...every day after school. He's turned all emoward."

"Emoward?" I asked, laughing.

"Yeah. He's all mopey. Just like you," she replied.

I threw a piece of popcorn at her.

"You should talk to him. He thinks you're going to break up with him." When I didn't respond, she turned her head to look at me. "Are you going to break up with him?"

"I don't know," I told her. And I didn't. I battled back and forth in my head, weighing the pros and cons of each.

"Well, don't do anything without really thinking it through, I guess." She shrugged.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"Who knows? Maybe things will work themselves out."

0-0

"Isabella Marie Swan! Wake your butt up!"

I groaned and threw a pillow over my head, trying to ignore Charlie's rapping on the door.

"Don't wanna."

"Get ready and then come downstairs," he said, ignoring my protest. "We need to talk."

An hour later I was downstairs, wondering why my dad had demanded I be awake at 8 am on a Saturday.

"Ah, good. You're up. I made some eggs and toast," he said, shoving a plate at me as I sat down at the kitchen table.

"You said we needed to talk?" I asked wearily.

"Yes. I'm tired of you walking around this house being all depressed. So, I did something about it."

"What did you do?" I asked cautiously. I had no idea what he meant.

"I called your mother."

I groaned. "You called Mom? Why?"

"Well, now. You could sound a little grateful. You know I wouldn't just call her for anything."

"I know, I know." I took a bite of my toast. "So, why did you call her?"

"We've come up with a plan. That is, if you agree to it."

"Okay. What's the plan?" I asked.

"Are you serious about Edward?"

"Yes." I nodded frantically. "Of course. We've been together almost a year."

"I figured as much. It's too late now and I can't afford to send you off to a fancy four year college, but I can afford for you to attend a community college. After you get your AA, you can transfer to a state school." He sighed, then continued. "Your mom and Phil can help you with an apartment and living expenses. However, you'll need to find a roommate. You'll also be expected to get a part time job."

I sat there, stunned silent.

"Well, what do you say?" Dad asked.

"Are you being serious right now?" I asked, still not believing what I was hearing. I could move to California...with Edward?

"Yep. As much as I may not like you being all alone in California, at least you have Edward there with you."

"Oh my god. You're serious?" I jumped up off the chair and ran over to my dad, hugging him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I kissed him on his cheek.

My dad, not knowing how to really take my affection, awkwardly patted me on the back.

"I have to go see Edward. Like...right now!"

I ran over to the door and slipped on my shoes, grabbing my bag and keys along the way.

"Don't forget to call your mom as well!" Charlie called after me.

I would, later. But now I had to go to Edwards and tell him the good news.

0-0

I was buzzing with excitement as I drove over to Edwards.

I was going to California. With Edward!

As soon as I pulled up in front of his house, I was out of my car and at the front door in a flash.

"Hello, Bella. What a pleasant surprise! I haven't seen you in a while," Esme greeted me when she answered the door.

"Hi, Esme. Is Edward around?" I asked.

"Yes, he's still sleeping though, I can go wake him."

"No thanks, Esme. I think I'll go wake him up. I have news!" I ran past her and into the house, leaving a confused and laughing Esme behind.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I threw threw his bedroom door open and pounced on Edwards bed, startling him awake.

"What?" he asked, confused.

I peppered kisses all over his face, straddling him.

He sat up, with me still latched on to him.

"Bella?"

I slapped his chest lightly. "Is there another girl that would run into your room and jump you?"

"No, of course not." He leaned forward and kissed me. "I'm just confused. I haven't seen you practically all week."

"I know," I frowned and climbed off him to sit next to him on the bed. "We need to talk."

Edward gulped audibly, looking worried. "Okay."

"I can go with you to California."

I paused, waiting for Edward to respond. He didn't.

"Did you hear me? I can go with you to California. Not Stanford, of course. But I can go to a community college there and then transfer to a state school. We don't have to do the long distance thing."

"You're not breaking up with me?"

"No!" I yelled. "I'm not breaking up with you."

"Really?" he asked, skeptical.

"Yes. Why, did you think I was?" I asked. A sinking feeling settled in my stomach.

"Well, yeah. I've barely seen or talked to you outside of school for three weeks. I thought I screwed up too badly. I dunno." Edward looked down at his lap.

"I'm sorry," I replied. I scooted closer to Edward and laid down, pulling him with me.

"It's okay. I was just...a little freaked out. I didn't know what to think," he said, pulling me even closer to him so I could rest my head on his shoulder and throw my leg over his.

"I was scared. I didn't think that We would be able to survive the distance. I turned into Emo-Bella. I started to push you away. I didn't want to break up with you."

"I'm sorry too. Again. I shouldn't have not told you about Stanford," he whispered. "But tell me more about your plan? Are your parents really going to go for it?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It was actually their idea, I guess. My dad just told me about it this morning and I came here as soon as I found out. There's conditions, of course. But it's really gonna happen. I can go to California with you."

Edward didn't say anything and I started to worry.

Had I jumped the gun? Maybe he didn't _want_ me to go to California with him.

I hadn't even thought of that.

"I mean...if it's okay with you," I said.

"Huh?"

"I never thought that maybe you didn't want me to come with you. You can tell me if you want. We can try the long distance thing. Who knows, maybe it will work." I tried to laugh, but it fell flat.

"No, of course I want you with me," he assured. "It's just...I don't want you to change your plans for me. I don't want you to regret it."

"I didn't have plans." I played with the neck of Edwards t-shirt. "I guess I never thought much about college. But the idea of being in a new place with you is exciting."

"Do you know what you want to study?" he asked.

"Umm..I'm not sure," I replied.

"Well, you have time. I'm not entirely sure yet either. But we can figure it out. Together."

0-0

We laid a little longer on the bed and I told him more about what my dad had told me. We also made out a little bit. Okay, a lot. And maybe with a little touching over the clothes going on as well.

However, we were interrupted when Esme knocked on the door, causing us to jump apart. Edward quickly pulled the comforter over his lap, hiding his boner.

"Bella, I'm making breakfast, would you like to stay?" She asked, sticking her head in the room, a knowing smile on her face.

I blushed. "Um, no thank you, I already ate. Actually, I should probably get going. I have to call my mom."

"Okay, well it was nice seeing you again, Bella," she said, before turning around and leaving.

"You really gotta leave?" Edward asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I should call my mom. But do you wanna do something tonight?"

"Sure. I'll call you later," he replied, groaning uncomfortably as he adjusted himself.

"Sorry," I giggled, nodding at his lap. "Maybe tonight?"

Edward smiled and nodded eagerly.

Such a guy.

I spent a couple hours on the phone with my mom, in which we planned a tentative trip down to California after graduation. With all of us going.

By all of us, I meant Mom, Phil, Dot and Dad.

Yeah, I wasn't sure how he would react to it but I knew that he would want to see where I would possibly be living.

When the phone call ended, I felt better than I had in the past three weeks.

There was so much to look forward to now.

* * *

I didn't want to drag the "angst" out for too long. Hope you liked it.

Chapters are getting shorter cause the story is winding down. I think 2 more + the epilogue.

But don't hold me to that.

This fic hit 800 reviews last chapter. That's so awesome! I can't believe you guys are still with me...years later.

Next up is prom!

Don't forget to review and I'll see you next time.


	27. Chapter 27

Anyone out there? Long time no see! Thanks to Tropical Sorbet for assuring me this didn't suck.

* * *

The rest of the school year passed by quickly and soon I was consumed with studying for finals and daydreaming about the upcoming changes in my life.

Finals passed and on the day of graduation, I woke up with butterflies in my stomach.

Mom, Phil and Dot were staying in Forks, at the Inn and a few days prior, Mom and I went to Port Angeles to shop for dresses.

I insisted that I didn't need anything fancy, since I would be wearing the hideous yellow gown on top, but in the end I came home with a new sundress.

Graduation wasn't until early afternoon, but it was tradition that Seniors go to school at the normal time as a way to spend time with friends and sign yearbooks.

By the time I was finished getting ready, Edward was waiting outside in his car for me.

Angela and Ben were both back from college, so we were meeting them at the diner along with Victoria and James.

"Bella!" Angela exclaimed as we walked to the booth where her and Ben were already sitting. She stood up and hugged me. "I've missed you! You look so good."

I smiled. "Thanks, Ang. I've missed you too."

A few minutes later, Victoria and James arrived and we all ordered.

It felt like old times when we would hang out, but a bittersweet feeling gnawed at me.

At the end of the summer, we would all be going our separate ways.

Edward, having noticed that I was feeling down, scooted closer to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

I leaned into his embrace and sighed, thankful that we would still be together.

My mood brightened though as Angela and Ben told us all about their first year of college.

Their happiness was palpable as they talked about teachers, new friends and their dorms.

After spending almost an hour and a half at the diner, Angela and Ben went back home and Victoria, James and I loaded in Edward's car and went to school.

0-0

"I hate this, Bella. Why can't we just wear dress clothes? I'd prefer a suit over this...dress."

"Shut up. At least you aren't stuck wearing some yellow gown. Why can't I wear a blue one like you?"

"Oh, Bella!" Renee called out, walking over with Dot in her arms and Esme trailing close behind her.

"My baby is just so grown up! Look at you!" Renee exclaimed, thrusting Dot at a surprised Edward and throwing her arms around me.

"Woah, Mom. Easy there." I said, patting her back. "Save the tears and emotion for afterward, okay? None of the other parents are getting over emotional."

"Oh, don't be silly, Bella." Esme chided me, taking Dot from Edward. "I would be a mess too if I hadn't had strict orders from both Carlisle and Edward to behave."

"Bella!" Rosalie yelled, walking through the crowd, dragging Emmett behind her.

"Hey, Rose, Emmett." I smiled and hugged them both.

"Wow, can you believe we're graduating?" Rose and I had gotten closer in the last few weeks of school. I didn't want to leave Forks without at least being on good terms with her. I wasn't sure if we'd ever be super good friends again though, since our college plans were taking us in different directions.

A moment later, a teacher came through the audience. "Okay, everyone. Line up, it's time!"

"Are you going to the party tonight?" Rosalie asked. The teachers had planned a party to take place at the school later in the evening.

I shook my head. The only people I really wanted to spend the evening with would be at Edward's. "I don't think so."

"Okay." She smiled sadly. "I guess I'll see you around then. I'll be going on vacation, but hopefully we can get together before you leave in the fall."

I nodded. "That sounds good. I'll be sure to give you a call."

After a brief hug, Rosalie turned around with Emmett and disappeared back into the crowd.

0-0

Once all the parents were seated and the students lined up, Pomp and Circumstance began to play, we walked out and took our seats.

As far as graduations went, it was pretty standard.

After the principal spoke, the Student Body president and the Valedictorian made their speeches as well.

I couldn't help the huge smile that spread across my face when Edward's name was called as he walked up to receive his diploma.

After the graduation ceremony was over, there was a reception with snacks and drinks. I was standing with Edward's and my parents, anxious to go out to lunch with them.

I heard throat clearing from behind me and turned to see a nervous looking Jessica.

"Do you think we could talk?"

"Um..." I looked past her to where Edward was standing, getting us something to drink. He shrugged. "Yeah."

"Okay." Jessica looked relieved. "Can we go someplace a little more private?"

I nodded my head and followed her to an empty classroom.

"What's up?" I asked once the door closed.

"I'm really sorry," she blurted out.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. For everything."

"Okay." I paused, wondering what to say next. "It's a little late, Jess."

Jessica sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I messed up our friendship. I've known Lauren my entire life, she's my best friend. But I should have never let her divide that wedge in our friendship."

"Well, thanks, Jessica. It's been over a year though, I'm over it. But I still appreciate your apology."

"Good." Jessica said, letting out a breath. "I know I should have apologized a long time ago. Things were just...crazy."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Mike cheated on me. With Tanya."

"What?" I had heard talk of Mike cheating, but I had never seen them not together. They looked solid.

"Yeah. It was horrible. We're good now though. Moved past it."

"Are you sure? I can't imagine how I would feel if Edward did something like that."

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Please. Just from looking at that boy it's obvious how pussy whipped he is."

"Jessica!"

"I'm sorry." Jessica laughed. "It's true though. I want to have that. Mike and I don't have that. Not really. I think."

"You'll have that eventually, Jess. Even if it's not with Mike. You'll find someone," I reassured her.

"I need to tell you something. But can you promise me you won't tell anyone? Not even Lauren."

Jessica's eyes were getting watery and she sniffled a bit. "I'm...pregnant."

I stood, shocked for a moment before I could say anything. "Are you sure?"

She nodded her head. "Positive. I've been to the doctor. I'm almost 3 months along."

Jessica ran her hand over her gown, showing me a tiny bump.

Wow. Of all things for Jessica to tell me, that was the very last on the list. "Do your parents know? Does Mike?"

"Yeah, they were pissed, to say the least. I'm going to stay in Forks now, Mike's mom is giving me a job at the shop and I guess we'll just take it from there."

"Wow, Jess. I don't know what to say."

"Yeah, that's pretty much me as well. I'm happy though, I think. Or I will be. It's a blessing, right?"

I nodded. "Babies are a lot of work, but if you're happy, then I'm happy for you as well."

Jessica's mom walked up to us then, putting her hand on Jessica's shoulder.

"Are you ready to get going then, honey?"

Jessica nodded. "I was just finishing up talking to Bella.

Her mom turned and smiled at me. "Hi, Bella. It's been a while. Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Stanley. I guess I should get going too."

"Everything okay?" Edward asked when I found my way back to him.

"Yeah." I shrugged. "It was...weird. I don't know. We're okay now though, I suppose. She actually apologized. I'll tell you about it later."

Edward nodded in understanding. "Ready to get out of here?"

I took a deep breath. "Yeah, I am."

I felt nostalgic as I walked through the halls of the school for the last time.

In a way, it was surreal, the fact that I wouldn't be returning come fall hadn't entirely hit me yet.

The last three years at Forks High had its ups and downs.

I'd made both new friends and enemies.

I had stood up for myself and in turn, met Edward, who I knew without a doubt was the love of my life.

Sure, we were young and had a long road ahead of us, but with him by my side, I knew I would be ready for whatever came next.

* * *

Hope you liked it! All that's left now is the epilogue. It's already written, so it'll be up in the next few day and I'll probably have a longer, more sappy A/N for that one. Let me know what you think in a review and follow me on facebook and twitter at HappyMess89 for both!


	28. Epilogue

Why not just update the rest now?

* * *

"Hey, Babe? Did you pack the rest of my books?" Edward called from the home office and sometimes guest bedroom.

"Yes," I sighed, exasperated. "I told you yesterday that I was going to get them on the U-Haul, so you could get out a book or two for the drive."

"Oops. Sorry." Edward walked into the bedroom and wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his head on my shoulder.

"I guess that's it, then?" I asked, leaning my head back against his chest. I was finishing the last of the packing, our suitcases, getting ready for our move to Portland.

The decision on where we would be moving after Edward got his masters hadn't been easy.

Part of me had enjoyed the sunshine and people in California, but the idea of moving to a new, possibly exciting place to _really _start my life with Edward excited me.

We literally had friends all over the country.

Charlie still lived in Forks, of course and was still dating Sue. I had teased him over the years as to why he didn't just ask her to marry him, or even to move in with him. He always just brushed it off, saying that while he and Sue enjoyed each others company, they had her two kids to consider and didn't want to rush into anything.

Rose and Emmett's relationship had been tumultuous as the years went on. Both fiercely passionate people, most of the time, they seemed to be on different pages in their relationship. We still spoke maybe once a month or every other month and a couple months ago when I heard from her, she jokingly mentioned their plan to elope. Last week, I got a postcard from her saying that they indeed had eloped and was looking into loans to apply to law school.

To say Alice was pissed that she hadn't been there or even known about the elopement beforehand had been an understatement.

Over the years, we had also formed a tight friendship, even though she had spent the last two years living in France. Yes, France. When Alice received the wedding invitation from Jasper and Maria, the realization that she wouldn't ever get her fairytale ending, at least with Jasper, broke her heart.

Needing to get away from everything for a little while, she decided an extended vacation in Paris would help. Which is where she met Alec over a year later, her current boyfriend.

Edwards parents also still lived in Forks, where Carlisle still worked at the hospital there. Esme had become really involved over the years in all the groups and clubs she could, wanting to keep busy now that Edward was gone and Carlisle still worked long hours. Charlotte had moved in with them for a year, wanting to get away from her parents and Chicago, but ultimately moved back to her home state and was attending art school.

Ben and Angela had gotten married the summer after their sophomore year of college and got pregnant almost immediately after that. Angela was now a stay at home mother with two kids, while Ben worked at a local paper. They never ended up moving back to Washington, having fallen in love with the East Coast.

My mom, Phil and Dot had remained settled in Jacksonville, which might have been a record for her. They had even bought a new house a few years ago and Edward and I visited them a few times a year.

So, while we could have moved pretty much anywhere in the United States, we chose Portland, Oregon. It was close enough to Forks and our parents, but far enough that we still had the independence and alone time we had come to enjoy over the past six years.

Plus, Edward was able to find a job there as a teacher pretty quickly and would be starting in the beginning of August. I hadn't been so lucky, but I did have a couple interviews lined up at daycares and preschools in our neighborhood.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked, bringing me back to the present.

"Nothing. Just about our friends." I shrugged.

"Oh, yeah? What about them?" He asked, kissing up and down my neck.

"Um, well. Just how...how we've all just grown up since high school." Edwards mouth on my neck was distracting, switching my train of thought completely.

"Yeah, I guess six years will do that to a person," Edward joked.

When his hand started rubbing my hip, moving lower, I knew I was done for.

0-0

Two hours later, I was laying naked in bed with Edward, who was fast asleep, snoring. The July sun that shone through the apartment window cause the red in Edwards hair to show; asking me to run my fingers through it.

I resisted though, knowing that the slightest touch from me could cause him to wake, which I didn't want just yet. I wanted to lay and admire him in his sleep.

The past six years with Edward, were, in one word, amazing.

As a person, Edward had changed so much from his shy, quiet self he was back in High School.

Sure, he was still mostly quiet and had his shy moments, but there was an underlying confidence that hadn't been there before.

College brought Edward out of his shell. Of course, he would always disagree and say that it was me who did that, but I knew better.

At Stanford, he wasn't judged by his clothes, interests or haircut. People saw him for who he really was, a super intelligent, kind guy.

The ladies also noticed, which took some time to get used to. In the beginning, I hated it and let it feed on every insecurity I had.

But as time progressed and I noticed that Edward didn't care or was anything more than polite about other women's interest in him, I grew to almost enjoy it.

Almost being the key word.

I liked that women saw Edward and wanted him. I liked it even more that if he noticed me scowling or growing quiet, he would wrap an arm around me and kiss me, reminding me and telling every other girl in the room that he was taken.

I had always scoffed at sappy romance novels and movies that talked about soul mates. But now, I kinda think they had the right idea.

We got along great and were each others main support system when we first moved out to California together. As we got more comfortable in our new surroundings and made new friends, our bond still remained tight.

That wasn't to say we didn't fight. We did. Most of the time, it was over stupid, petty stuff. Sometimes, our emotions got the best of us and it seemed like our fights went from the actual issue to who could yell the loudest. But we always made up. Always.

I cringed, thinking back to a darker time about midway through our sophomore year. We had both been pretty busy with school and since I had a longer commute to mine, we didn't get to see each other all the time.

At that time, I hadn't made a lot of close friends yet, so Edward was really the only person I had to spend time with that I felt totally comfortable with.

But he was always gone. Whether it was at work, or he was busy studying in the library or trying to catch up on sleep, I felt like our relationship was becoming strained.

I hated it.

I was so lonely and bored and frustrated and a million other emotions, that one day when Edward canceled our plans to go out last minute, I snapped.

We both said things we shouldn't have and the end result was me saying that we needed time apart.

It was the worst four months of my life.

Pretty much as soon as I slammed the door to his dorm shut, I realized what a huge mistake I had made. I wanted to turn back and apologize right away, but I knew that because of the things we both said, damage had been done and we needed time to heal.

That's when Kate and Irina went from being just roommates to a couple of my closest friends. They were there for me when I cried and sobbed and drank myself stupid that first night.

They pushed me to keep moving forward, keep going to school and to work.

They calmed my fears about Edward moving on, insisting that just like me, he probably needed time too.

Kate and Irina were right.

Four months later, Edward came to my door, looking sad and defeated with a bouquet of wildflowers.

Two months after that, we were able to fully move past our time apart and any bitterness or negative feelings we felt had dissolved and we were able to completely move forward.

0-0

"You've been staring at me for the past fifteen minutes. I am awake, you know." Edward groaned, not even bothering to crack open an eye. "I can feel your eyes burning a hole in my forehead.

Instead, he blindly reached forward to grab me, pulling me in his arms so I was laying half on top of him.

"I can't help it," I said, reaching up to finally run my fingers through his hair. "You're just so handsome."

"Are you gonna miss this place?" He asked, opening his eyes to look at me.

"This place as in our apartment? Or California?"

"Hmm...both," Edward clarified, running his hand down my side.

"California? Yes. Of course. I'll miss our friends and the weather. It's been our home for the last six years. This apartment? Most definitely. It was our first place together. But it won't be our last." I paused, tugging on his hair gently. "Besides, all that really matters is that wherever I go, you're there too."

Edward smirked and shifted his body so I could feel his erection against my stomach, his way of letting me know he wanted me again. "Good answer."

0-0

"I guess we're all loaded up, then?" Edward asked, walking through the apartment one last time.

"Yes. Everything is in the truck," I confirmed, although that didn't stop Edward from going through the apartment once more, opening all the drawers of the furniture we were leaving behind.

When we moved in, the apartment had been semi-furnished, but after two years of living together, we had acquired some more, none of which we thought were worth the hassle of shipping to Oregon.

"And you gave Victoria and James our new address and our parents address so they could pick up my car?"

Victoria and James, upon finding out that we were moving to Oregon volunteered to drive Edward's Volvo to Portland for us, wanting to take their own mini road planned on renting a car to take back with them to Forks.

Victoria was an art teacher for the Forks school district, teaching art to elementary school kids, so she was out of work for the summer. James worked as a mechanic at a bodyshop in Forks. After his father passed away a few months ago from cancer, James quit working at the shop, at least for the time being while James settled all his father's affairs and worked on fixing up his house.

Needless to say, they both jumped at being able to get away from Forks for a little while.

"Well, shit. I guess I did forget something," I said, scrunching up my eyebrows and biting my lip, trying to stop from giggling. Edward could be so anal about things sometime, I couldn't resist taking little jabs at him every once and awhile.

"What?" Edwards head snapped up, only to see my futile attempts at controlling my laughter.

"You are evil." Edward glared, stalking towards me.

"I'm sorry!" I exclaimed, back up towards the dresser in the bedroom. "Really. It was a joke!"

The glint in Edward's eyes let me know I wasn't going to get away with my teasing.

I didn't put up much of a fight when he grabbed me, picking me up to sit me on top of the dresser.

After defiling the dresser one last time, we locked up the apartment, ready to head out of California and begin our new life.

* * *

It took me over three years to finish this fic. If any of you from the very beginning are still reading. THANK YOU! Regardless, thank you everyone for all your favorites, alerts, reviews and PM's. This was my first attempt at a long multi-chapter fic and I learned a lot along the way. Thanks for taking this long journey with me.

If you haven't already, be sure to check out my current WIP, My Perfect Match. It's definitely different from WCN, but hopefully you'll like it as well.


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